Love and Honor
by CrazyAna
Summary: What would you do when you fancy yourself in love with another only to have your true mate drop in your life? Do you choose your one true love and give in to the dreams of happily ever after or do you keep your commitments and choose to honor what you can now only call friendship? AN: Timeline is obviously changed! Characters will be OOC! Story not for Bella fans! (Now Complete!)
1. Chapter 1

**LOVE & HONOR**

 **Disclaimer:** Thank you Ms. Rowling and Ms. Meyers for the lovely universe of our dreams.

 **PROLOGUE:**

"Harry DUCK!" Hermione shouted as the trio ran through the forest to get away from the snatchers.

In a spilt second's decision, Hermione made a small incision on her wrist and waved her wand around whispering an almost-forgotten ancient runic spell and suddenly the three youngsters vanished into thin air.

"Find them!" ordered Scabior.

"When this is done, I'm gonna have that bitch in my pack!" roared Fenrir.

The other three snatchers looked high and low but found no trace of the trio in the Forest of Dean. Even Fenrir, with his lupine nose, could not trace their scent.

"Where are they?" Scabior hit a tree trunk in his frustration. For the first time in so many months, he had thought that they had finally come upon something that would be his meal ticket for life only to have it snatched away so quickly. He had a sinking sensation at the pit of his stomach that lurched at the thought of the Dark Lord finding out about this particular incident, he would kill them and that was the best case scenario. He shuddered to think how creative the Dark Lord could get if it really was Harry Potter that they let escape. He turned around and looked at the four snatchers scathingly. Pointing his wand at the junior three, he made short work of obliviating the memory of the past hour and then turned to look at Fenrir.

"The Dark Lord can't know about this," Scabior said with ice in his voice.

Fenrir who had a healthy dose of self-preservation in him did not object one bit. "Agreed," he grunted and they both clasped their arms and took a blood oath to hold their tongues.

"We find them and only then leave this forest. Turn every rock and look under every tree if you have to," Scabior instructed and Fenrir repeated the order to the confused snatchers.

The five fanned out and gave chase across the forest again.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, a particular copper-haired, amber-eyed vampire was having the best time of his vampiric life. He had the girl of his dreams in his arms and he could resist the call of her singing blood.

The girl, on the other hand, was snuggled close to the cold vampire, dreaming with open eyes about staying with him forever. While she had never been afraid of death, she had found a way to become immortal. _Ironic huh?_ And she got to do that in the arms of the gorgeous vampire that had her cradled by his side as if she was a porcelain doll. Life for Isabella Swam could not get better. _Well, until I change, that is._

Edward propped his head on his hand and looked down at Bella, but before he could ask her about her giggles, a noise loud enough to startle her broke in the forest and Edward immediately got to his feet when he smelled a foreign scent. _Scents,_ he corrected himself. _Three distinct scents._ Then he heard the running steps and with dismay noted that they were directed their way. While his first thought was about Victoria's death threat against his to-be mate, the loud thudding of three hearts was enough to let him know that they were mere mortals and nothing that he couldn't handle.

How wrong had he been!

His world practically tipped and then rolled over when the three mortals reached the clearing he had occupied with Bella. Edward took a defensive stance, baring his teeth and letting out feral snarls as the three teenagers finally broke through the trees and came face-to-face with him.

"Blimey!" the red-headed boy swore.

"Harry stop!" the bushy-haired girl squeaked and before the boy she called Harry could get a word in edgewise, she pushed him from the front of her onto the forest floor and stared Edward right in his eyes. "To get to Harry, you will have to go through me first."

Before Edward could charge, or even process her words, a whirlwind of white flew through the trees, cuffed his neck and had him pinned to a tree a little ways away from the scene.

"Careful there, little brother. Hurt you, did I?" Emmett laughed.

"Get off me, you moron." Edward scowled at his adopted brother and turned to see if Bella was alright. She looked a little paler than normal but fine, all things considered. He then turned his attention to the spitfire that had landed him in this position only to see Alice crouched low beside the girl, while Jasper and Rosalie were mimicking her stand beside the two boys.

"Let's get them home. I'll call Carlisle and we can get him to have a look at them," Alice's musical voice cut through the still air.

"You must be joking," Rosalie glared at Alice who only shook her head and shrugged. Jasper immediately picked up the messy-haired, bespectacled boy... _Harry the girl had called him?_ and followed Alice who had done the same to the girl. Emmett moved towards Rosalie and before she could lift the red-headed boy, he lifted him up and left behind Alice.

"Go drop your singer home and be back soon," Rosalie spoke in clipped tones and left without a glance at either of the two remaining occupants at the beautiful clearing in the woods.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 01:**

"Bloody hell!" Ron crooned from his bed, his hand flying to his head. "Can someone ask the idiot whose hammering my head to stop it already!"

"Language RONALD," Hermione whispered out of habit.

"Oh goody! They wake!" Alice sighed, clapping her hands happily.

"Now that you're up, care to explain what happened Mione?" Harry asked as he pushed his body to sit up on his bed. Esme immediately moved beside him and straightened the pillows behind his back.

"Just give me a minute before that," Carlisle said calmly. "I need to check your vital stats and make sure you are all okay. So, what is your last memory?"

"Hermione asking me to duck?" Harry said after some thought.

"Running in front of a bloody brute of a creature," Ron answered, shrugging his shoulders in a way to show as if it was a daily occurrence.

Carlisle then turned to Hermione, only to see her eyes closed in thought. _We were running. I cast the spell. And then there was that vampire with… WAIT!_ "Where are we?" she asked instead of answering Carlisle's question.

"Forks, Washington State," Rosalie sneered.

"FUCK!" the three strangers swore, then the two boys looked amused at the girl and chuckled.

"See that Harry? We finally rubbed off on her."

"Oh hush you!" Hermione glared at her best friends and immediately started to curb her panic while sorting through her thoughts.

 _Okay, first things first!_ "Why are your eyes amber?" Hermione fired her question and looked at every vampire around with a venomous stare.

"What do you mean?" Carlisle asked guarded.

"Mione, that's not a particularly polite question," Harry furrowed his brows and looked at her.

"You think?" snapped the biggest one of them all.

"Why aren't your eyes red? And if you do not answer me immediately, I will wipe out your coven," Hermione said acidly as she slyly moved her hand towards her arm to feel for her wand and was happy to note that it was still strapped to her arm holster there, under her full sleeved t-shirt.

The vampires looked at each other. Figuring they already knew their secret, Alice gave a friendly smile to Hermione and said in her musical voice. "Because we feed off animal blood, not human blood."

Hermione checked everyone's eyes again and sighed, her final protection bubble around Harry and Ron sliding off as her strength finally lapsed and she fell into a heap on the bed she had laid on.

"Maybe we should get some food in the first," Esme suggested, looking at the three thinning teenagers.

Working around the feeble protests of the trio, Esme quickly heated the ready-to-eat meals that Alice and Jasper had stocked on just after bringing the trio in.

"What is that?" Ron asked curiously, pointing at the microwave.

Harry sat down between Ron and Hermione and explained all about microwaves that he knew to Ron, while Hermione discreetly used her legilemancy skills to read the minds of the vampires. Only when she was sure they had no idea about their identities and were in no way whatsoever connected to Voldemort, did she finally look at the table laden with food.

Harry wordlessly and wandlessly cast a series of inspection spells on the food and when he was sure it was all unaffected and good for consumption, he gave a subtle nod and the three finally began eating. Within minutes they polished off the seven ready meals on the table, much to vampires shock. The way they ate had the vampires wondering about their last meal.

After the table was cleared, the wizards turned in their seats and looked at the vampires, before Harry turned to Hermione and asked again. "Care to tell me what we are doing in Forks, Washington? The United States of bloody America? How Mione? Why? You realize we are in the middle of a war back in _England_ right?"

Calculating about what and how much to tell the vampires, Hermione finally decided to trust her instincts that were telling her that this coven was trustworthy and divulged as little as she could without outright lying.

"We were being chased by snatchers so I brought my friends and myself to a place none of us had visited before. I had seen a picture of that clearing in one of our friend's library. It was part of some correspondence and I kept the image in my mind, knowing I could use it as a safe place when the need arouse."

"The snatchers were almost upon us so I used an old piece of magic and brought us here. I only did not know it was halfway across the world. You see the location wasn't mentioned in the pic.."

"Magic?" a soft feminine voice said from the doorway. "Did she just say magic, Edward?" Bella turned to Edward and asked.

"Didn't I ask you to drop her home?" Rosalie groaned.

"I tried. She insisted on coming," Edward shrugged.

"Aren't you whipped," Hermione smirked at the vampire by the door and he looked up to see her and then everything stopped for him. He felt a tug somewhere deep within himself followed by an overwhelming need to hold the girl in front of him, to keep her, protect her, hold her and love her.

Jasper blinked at Edward's emotions and turned to look at the young girl inspiring them and a small smile tugged at his lips. _At least I don't feel like ripping his mate apart and feed off her!_ But Jasper kept his new findings to himself, he thought it best to let Edward take things forward the way he'd want to.

"Yes, he kind of is, and I find it extremely adorable," Bella smiled and walked closer to the trio of friends. "So, you can do magic?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I am a witch and my friends are wizards."

"Unbelievable, isn't it?" Bella asked flushing happily.

"Really? You are standing amidst a coven of vampires, and you find the idea of magic unbelievable?" Ron smirked crookedly.

"Oh yeah, that," Bella blushed in embarrassment.

Hermione looked from the blushing Bella to Ron who just shrugged in confusion.

"Where are my manners! I am Bella, Bella Swan," Bella offered her hand to Ron first who shook it and introduced himself, "I'm Ron. Ron Weasley."

"Sorry," Hermione blushed in embarrassment too and looked at the Cullen family. "Guess we didn't start out with the obvious too. I'm Hermione Granger and these are my best friends Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley." They all nodded at the Cullens and suddenly Jasper perked up.

"Harry Potter! I know of you. Didn't you defeat a dark wizard a couple of decades back?" Jasper asked snapping his fingers.

"Barely. He is back and out for my blood. There's unrest in the entire country. We were in hiding trying to work our way to ensuring his defeat when Mione decided to dump us here," Harry glared at Hermione who looked down at the floor in shame.

"Oh, don't blame her. If it hadn't been for her, you would've been captured and locked in the dungeons of a dreary manor while a mad lady would've tortured her," Alice chastised.

"WHAT?!" Harry, Hermione, and Ron spoke together.

"Yes, I saw that bit first and suddenly the vision changed mid-way and I saw you all fall out of nowhere here," Alice said. "It's the first time something of this sort has happened with me."

"You're a seer?" Harry asked skeptically. Alice nodded.

"Do you.. do you mind if we see your vision?" Hermione asked with a shiver in her voice, making Edward want to hold her close and comfort her.

Alice shook her head and Hermione detached her wand from the holster in her arm and muttered a spell pointing her wand at Alice and removed the silvery thread of her vision's memory. "Harry get the small pensive from my bag."

Sniggering, Harry summoned Hermione's beaded purse and pushed his entire arm in the tiny thing, much to everyone else's amusement. As soon as he found the pensive, he pulled at it and brought it out. Ron muttered the spell to open it and Hermione put Alice's memory in it and the waters swirled and the three wizarding folks bent over the pensive.

Edward saw Hermione's hunched back stiffen and immediately turned to his sister. With a meaningful look, he had her play the vision in her mind for him and he understood the reason for Hermione's reaction. He saw Hermione being tortured on the floor of a dark room by a crazed-looking woman who then carved her ivory flesh. Unintentionally, a feral snarl escaped him. Seeing his reaction, Alice immediately stopped the memory and in a flash was beside him, her hand on his shoulder to offer comfort.

The three youngsters came out of the pensive within moments, the girl looking deathly pale while the boys looked livid with anger.

"I'm gonna bloody kill her. That bitch!" Ron screamed, fisting his hands.

Harry hugged Hermione and rubbed her back, a slow color gradually returning to her pale parlor. "We'll get them all Mione. I promise I'll end this," Harry whispered in her ears but all the vampires heard him with their enhanced hearing anyway.

Slowly Hermione brought her hands around Harry and returned his hug and Ron joined them too. Edward fisted his hands to keep away. Having one male hugging the tiny witch was difficult for him to see, having two was downright unbearable. _Funny how I never felt that for Bella in all these months._

"I think it was the Malfoy Manor," Hermione said, remembering the Malfoy insignia hung on one of the walls. "We need to go there," she finally whispered when she felt her thoughts return in a more systematic order.

"What! Are you nuts?" Harry jumped a foot in the air.

"What part of the torture made you think – oh hey that looks nice, I must get myself some of that?!" Ron asked angrily.

"It's not that.. did you not see it? Olivander, Griphook, and Luna were in the dungeons with you. Without us, they're doomed. And we need to get back anyway. Bellatrix kept asking 'what else we had taken from her vault' which means she is hiding something in her vault! We need to get into Gringotts and get that _thing_! Griphook being a goblin can help us with it. We need to go back…"

"Hermione!" Harry kissed her forehead. "You are brilliant! Like always!"

"No.. no I'm not. I am just highly logical and see what others oversee," Hermione said modestly, making both her friends grin and kiss her on her cheek.

"Now, where have we heard that before?" Harry chuckled.

"Apart from every time we say she's brilliant?" Ron laughed.

Blushing, Hermione looked away. Edward smirked. _She just saw herself being tortured and she's smiling?_ He heard the same though echoing in his family's mind.

"So what now?" Ron asked.

"Back to England, I guess?" Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

Edward sent a panicked look at his sister and she immediately intervened. "I think you need to take a moment to consider the consequences of your decision before diving in the deep end again."

"We need to save our friend," Hermione said automatically.

"Some friends," Ron snorted and Hermione quickly slapped him up the head.

"Be nice Ron. Her father outing us has nothing on her. And he did it only because she is captured."

Chastised, Ron looked at the floor. "Maybe I could go to Romania and speak with Charlie? See if he can get a word in the Order to check for what's happening with them all?"

Harry and Hermione nodded and Ron spun on the spot with a loud crack and disappeared. "NOW! He left right now! Without even discussion his trail or anything?" Hermione was aghast.

"What's the point of planning anyway Mione? We plan, we reach, then all the hell breaks loose. This way it's only him, even if something happens to us we can't give out information we don't have."

"Right," Hermione rolled her eyes. For a hero, Harry really could be thick sometimes. "Like we don't know his destination."

Harry shrugged. "Now, about Malfoy Manor."

"Do you know the layout of the place?" Jasper asked, moving towards them. His earlier life quickly coming in to play.

The magical teenagers shook their heads. "Then, do you know anyone who can help you with it?"

Harry and Hermione thought hard before the answer dawned on them. "Dobby!" they exclaimed simultaneously.

They really were too much in sync to speak together so often, Esme thought with a small smile.

A pop rang through and a small child-like creature came into the sitting room of the big house.

"Harry Potter called for Dobby?" he spoke, much to everyone's fascination.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 02:**

"What is that thing?" Bella asked in a shrill voice.

"That's very rude Ms Swan. Everyone, please meet our dear friend Dobby, Dobby these are…" Hermione trailed off looking at Harry and then at the Cullens.

Emmett smirked. "I'm Emmett. That's my girl Rosalie. Our parents, Dr. Carlisle and Esme. That's Alice, her mate Jasper and lastly Edward and his human Bella."

Dobby bowed in greeting to the vampires then turned to look at Harry. "Harry Potter is making friends with vampireses. Why?"

"Long story," Harry shrugged. "Dobby, can you help us with the layout of the Malfoy Manor? A few of our friends are caught there and we want to go get them back."

Dobby shuddered but nodded and Hermione immediately summoned a large parchment and a muggle pen. Jasper took the items from her and sketched the whole building plan at inhuman speed as Dobby went on to describe the whole place in painstaking detail. When all was done, he stood beside them as they planned and plotted the best ways to reach the dungeons, the place where the prisoners were most likely kept.

Hermione was twisting her pout this and that when she finally sighed. She was just the logic of the three, Harry was the blind bravery and Ron was the strategist. With him God knows where, she wondered how well their planning would fare. Sighing, she turned to Dobby and smiled, "How would you have done this Dobby?"

"I, Miss, would apparate to the dungeons and grab them prisoners and come back," he shrugged easily.

Harry stopped what he was doing and turned to Dobby askance while Hermione's jaw flew open.

"Are you trying to tell me we can apparate inside the Malfoy Manor?" Harry spat out.

"No wizards except my old masters but Dobby cans Harry Potter. House elves can come and go in the Manor," he replied importantly.

"You shitting me!"

"Language Harry," Hermione scolded him. She then turned to Dobby. "So Dobby if we ask you to get our friends, could you do that for us please?"

"For Harry Potter and his friends, yes Miss."

"So Dobby, can you pick these prisoners and get them here?"

Dobby nodded.

"Thanks Dobby," Harry hugged the little creature.

"Dobby will be back." And with that he snapped his fingers and was out.

"Well, fuck me sideways!" boomed Emmett's laughter.

Not more than ten minutes later, Dobby was bowing low in front of Harry again. "Your friends, Harry Potter," said Dobby as three more magical beings popped into the Cullen's hall.

"Luna!" Hermione ran to her friend and hugged her close. "I hope you're okay? Were you tortured? Were you.." Hermione trailed off at Luna's characteristic faraway look.

In her soft, dreamy voice Luna replied, "No, Hermione. I'm absolutely alright. Not much on welcome, the Malfoys; but I wasn't tortured or anything. He-who-must-not-be-named has recently come across an old piece of blood magic and for that he needs the blood of the four founders. Since their off-springs are no more, he was thinking of using the students who best embody their house traits. They captured me first, on the night of Bill's wedding. Malfoy is already with them, though they aren't treated too well, considering its their home and all. They have Ginny on a tight leash for Gryffindor, though I believe his first choice was you followed by Ron. Lastly, they are looking for a magizoologist by the name of Rolf Scamander for Hufflepuff, since they can't lay their hands on Tonks and have Justin Finch-Fletchley as back up."

"How did you gather all this information while in prison?" Jasper asked impressed by the girl's resourcefulness.

"When one's in a war, one learns to have big ears," Luna smiled at Jasper and pulled out two large human-like ears that were joint by a string, from her back pocket. "I really must thank George for giving me a pair along with Ginny," she said fondly.

Turning next to Olivander, Hermione quickly wiped off her tears, trying to keep their first meeting's fond memories at the back of her mind as she took in his torn body. "I'm sorry but we need to move him to a bed or something."

Jasper quickly stepped ahead and picked up the battered man, thanking the gods above for his magical injuries being the non-bleeding type. He did not want to think how he would have reacted to these prisoners of war had any of them been bleeding!

The second Jasper set Olivander down, Hermione was by his bedside with Carlisle shadowing her. She pulled out her wand again and muttered in a string of words in Latin,. Slowly, colour returned to the old wizard's face and he offered his young healer a soft smile. "I always knew you were meant for great things Miss Granger," he rasped and laid his head down in the pillows, closing his eyes.

"Should I hook him up on an IV?" Carlisle asked from behind Hermione. "He looks too frail for my comfort."

Biting on her lower lip, Hermione nodded and made way for Carlisle to take over tending to Olivander, running down the steps straight into Harry's arms.

Instinctively, Harry reached for her and wrapped his arms around her petite frame. "He is really weak Harry. I'm not sure if he'll make it through this," she wept on his shoulder.

Harry rubbed soothing circles on her back and murmured soft words of comfort in her ear. Seeing everyone's eyes on them, he shook his head, "For those of us raised outside the magical world, Mr Olivander is the first most magical person we come across in London. He owns and runs a wand shop in Diagon Alley – the magical shopping street in London and all our wands are from his store. He.. he just makes our first magical purchase – our wand, so special. A wizard is nothing without his wand and the wands of most witches and wizards in Britain are made by Mr Olivander."

"He.." Hermione wiped her teary eyes and her red nose on the long sleeves of her t-shirt, "he tortured him for information about a wand. Mr Olivander did not know where it was but he did pass on the information to him about Grindlewald having it last. I need to know what is so special about the wand he is looking for. It may help us."

"He knows Mione. The wand was with Dumbledore and he has taken it from his grave. He has it now."

 _From Dumbledore's grave? What was so special about the wand that he had to rob a grave?_ Just when Hermione was lost in these thoughts, Luna's serene voice cut in.

"Now sir, if you wish to snack, we can wait outside. But I must warn you that if you drink her dry, you will lose the lovely amber of your eyes and turn them red at least for the next couple of months," Luna informed Edward without batting her eyes.

"There's the Luna we all know and love," Harry grinned. "Blunt to the point of rudeness."

"Must be a witch trait," Emmett laughed looking at Hermione then at Luna then back again. "I think the next few days just got exciting."

…


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 03:**

By the time Ron apparated back to the Cullen household, Harry, Hermione, Luna, Griphook and Ollivander had all fallen asleep in an exhausted slumber while Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice had gone out hunting. Carlisle and Esme were sitting together in the kitchen area. Edward, he was informed by Esme, was out for the night at his girlfriend's place. Something Ron assumed he did quite often given the nonchalant way Esme had passed the information to him. _Lucky bastard_ Ron thought jealously as he reinforced the wards around their room which he was sure Hermione had expanded to fit all - Harry, Luna, himself and her, in together instead of having them fanned out and be easier targets should calamity suddenly strike. Then he too found his way to a cold and lonely bed.

 _Bacon!_

Ron drooled at the thought and woke up instantly to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Sitting up he looked straight at Harry, who, Ron was sure, was mimicking his own expression of hunger. The year on the run had been difficult on their palate and not just because the food was hard to come by but because their darling best friend could _not_ cook to save her life! She took particular offense whenever Harry offered to cook and gave them an evil eye as soon as she dished whatever she had managed to burn yet keep a part of it raw, onto their plates until they licked their plates clean!

So the enticing smell of sumptuous breakfast beckoned the growing boys. Jumping out of their beds and running down the stairs, the two young wizards slumped around the breakfast bar and immediately flushed seeing the complete coven of vampires eyeing them with clear amusement.

"Sorry," they muttered sheepishly and looked down at the table.

"I can tell you haven't been eating well," Esme said in the typical motherly fashion and passed them plates piled high with foods.

Without a second's thought, the boys dug in eagerly and pigged out on the meal making the vampires chuckle.

"If only I had known my food would be so well received I'd have cooked more," Edward grinned.

"You made this?" Harry asked surprised.

Edward nodded. "For a guy who can't taste his cooking, this is pretty awesome," Ron spoke between mouthfuls of food.

If he could, Edward probably would've blushed at that. "It's nothing. I like cooking, takes my mind off things. Only thing is, before you all I never had a chance to practice on someone who could give me a feedback."

"Oh! I thought you're dating a human," Ron shrugged and continued digging in.

"Hmm.." Harry agreed without looking up from his own plate.

"This is really lovely," Luna's dreamy voice made the boys jump. Neither had realized when the pale witch had slid in beside them, so lost were they in their breakfast. Her timely interruption also saved Edward from answering why he hadn't yet cooked for his girlfriend. The fact that the thought had never even crossed his mind made him wince internally.

"You best hide. Mione will stab you with a table knife once she figures that a vampire can cook better than her," Harry sniggered.

He received a prompt smack up his head as Hermione took the empty chair on his left and sat down. "I won't compare myself to a century-old vampire. He obviously has had a lot of time to practice."

Edward passed her a plate too. She set it down quietly, thanking him and began eating herself.

"Yeah, but he had no feedback. You, on the other hand.." Ron suddenly trailed off at the murderous glare Hermione sent his way. "Since you can't taste it yourself, call me anytime you cook. I'd happily do the honors for you," Ron grinned at Edward instead. Edward returned it with a small chuckle of his own.

"So what's on your mind? Why were you cooking?" Luna cut straight to the chase and eyed all the vampires curiously. "Why are you all so worked up?"

"Well, there's a war brewing on our side too, you see," Rosalie began explaining with an angry look darted Edward's way.

"A war?" Harry suddenly sat up, all business while Hermione and Ron straightened up too.

"We won't bore you with the details but in a nutshell, let's just say Romeo here managed to anger the wrong crowd with a human on his arm. Then to save the said human, we killed a vampire who was obsessively tracking her and now his mate is out for the same human, landing us in this unpleasant situation." The way Rosalie explained their ordeal had Hermione's lips twitching. "In her attempt to bring down Bella and our family at the same time, Victoria has raised a newborn vampire army and is headed our way as we speak. Based on Alice's vision, they should be here in the next few days." There flattened Hermione's twitching lips, her color fading immediately.

"So, uhm, the newborn vampires, are they like baby vampires then?" Harry asked unsurely.

"I didn't know vampires could have babies," Ron shrugged and continued eating, completely missing the faltering Rosalie as Emmett engulfed her in his arms.

Groaning Hermione turned their way and scowled. "Why do you two never read!?"

"We wouldn't want your job to be mundane now would we?" Ron smirked and Harry held his shoulder tightly to get him to keep quiet, lest he anger Hermione, which going by the small sparks in her hair was eventually happening anyway.

"Mione," Harry cut in, "could you tell us about the newborn vampires please?"

Throwing one last glare at them both, Hermione launched herself into a long rant. "Newborn vampires are, as the name suggests, new vampires. No, they aren't children Harry, but people who have been recently bitten and turned. Given their news genes and their lack of control on their venom, they are highly volatile and much more bloodthirsty than their older counterparts as they haven't yet conquered their bloodlust. According to the Volturi's laws, a vampire who converts a person is essentially the one responsible for his or her actions. It's like raising a blood crazy army to turn more than one person at a time. Given the information, it would be safe to assume that this vampire, Victoria, only wishes to destroy this coven taking Bella with it, post which she will more than likely kill the newbies and leave with nothing but their ashes spread in the air behind her. Being a newborn vampire is like having the urge to suck every human dry just to get the intense burning in their throat down to a simmer. It takes vampires half a century or at times, even more, to control this lust and live off just one human per week. Also, because on their constant feeding, the newborn vampires are much stronger and can break the hardest of bones with just a fist through it."

"That' just morbid," Harry shook his head.

"Trouble just seems to find us, eh mate?" Ron smirked. "So what's this Volturi then?"

"The Volturi is the coven of the oldest vampires. They have three leaders that are treated like royalty amongst the vampires - Aro, Caius, and Marcus, with Aro being their head. Aro also has this unhealthy hobby of _collecting_ those vampires with exceptional gifts. He is an astute businessman, if you will, who stops at nothing once he has his eyes set on something or someone. The vampires all over world revere the Volturi but in general, try to stay away from them nevertheless. The Volturi seat in Volterra, Italy and thereby come directly under the jurisdiction of the Italian Ministry of Magic. They are also bound by the Statute of Secrecy, so they prefer turning or feeding off any human that figures about the existence of vampires."

"Has a newborn vampire army ever been defeated before this?" Harry asked anything about war piquing his curiosity and making him think of ways he could use the information for their own battle which he was sure was approaching faster than ever before.

"One-on-five, yes. Separate their limbs and torso and then burn them down. But as an army, only during the Vampire Wars of southern America. An old vampire by the name of Maria raised and an army of newborns along with her two sisters. They turned a major of the US Army, the youngest ever to achieve that post, and abused his intelligence for their own selfish gains. Major Jas…" Hermione halted and turned to stare wide-eyed at Jasper and then smacked her forehead hard. "Of course! That's why you looked so familiar! You are Major Jasper Whitlock, the youngest major in the history of America. Your ventures with Maria, especially those that talk about your prowess at strategizing and dub you as the God of War on the fighting field are most audacious to read. Some of your adventures even put a few of ours to shame. It's such an honor to meet you in person," Hermione gave Jasper a warm smile and then moved back to her rant as if she hadn't stopped at all.

"Okay, so Major Jasper Whitlock here is one of the few to have actually gone against newborn vampire armies and lived to tell the tale. While he did commander the army, he is known to have destroyed it after their use to his creator Maria was nulled."

"How can we help?" Harry again directed his question at Hermione instead of the vampires.

"Slicing hexes followed by Incendio. No fyndefyres as their dark power can lead a trail back to us, giving up our location for any tracker worth his salt."

"Guess we could do that. We're in," said Harry and nodded at the Cullens then went back to his breakfast.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 04:**

"They're just something else, you know Bella," Edward spoke happily with his girlfriend. "That little boy, barely seventeen now, did not even bat his eyes yet agreed to help us against the newborn army; and they're still in the middle of their own war. I'm really impressed by their bravery."

"Oh and the two witches! You just need to be with them to be stunned into speechlessness. The younger one is wise beyond her years and the elder one… she's just something else, kind of like their mother hen I think. And the things she knows, she's so intelligent and smart and…" Edward shook his head, "I'm boring you, aren't I?"

"No. No, I think it's cute when you're boyfriend rambles on about other girls," Bella said stiltedly.

"You know it's nothing like that. They are helping me to keep you safe, that means the world to me and I will be forever indebted to them for that, is all."

"Just remember that I love you." With those words Bella pulled Edward into his own house, smiling shyly at his family who she knew had heard her declaration of love.

The Cullens were in their hall, four of their guests, three youngsters and one tiny man-like creature they had identified as a goblin between them.

Harry, the boy with the shaggy hair and scar was questioning the goblin about something that sounded very close to ways of robbing a bank. His best friend, the red headed boy, Ron, was standing just a step behind Harry, looking intimidating with his arms folded in front of his chest and his tall body pulled taut to look more scary than he could, while Harry interrogated the goblin. Hermione was standing by the large glass windows that made up one wall of the room and from her reflection Bella could make out she was playing with a locket on the chain she was wearing around her neck.

Suddenly the said girl's sure voice cut through Bella's reverie. "The only way they'll let us to her vault is if she is with us. We need her hair and her wand and then it's done." Hermione did not turn to face the room.

"The girl is right," Griphook said. "I can help but only with a few basics beyond which you are alone."

"I bet her wand was from Olivander's. So may be he could replicate it?" Ron mused.

"And how do you reckon we get her hair?" Harry asked.

"May be Dobby could help again?" Hermione turned then and looked questioningly at her two best friends.

"Well if he is going back to the manor anyway, may be he could pick her wand too then?" Ron snickered.

"Oh don't be dense Ron! She won't miss a few hairs from her brush but she will know her wand's gone," Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Do you have any Polyjuice in your nifty little bag?" That was Harry again.

"Of course! I told you I packed all the essentials, didn't I?" Hermione was a tad affronted.

Harry and Ron hid their smiles as coughs. "Oh, shove it." Hermione muttered under her breath. "Harry get Dobby on the hair and Ron you speak to Mr. Olivander. Send Luna down when you get there. The lesser she knows the better."

Nodding, both Harry and Ron left for their work. Hermione then looked Griphook straight in the eye. "What's your price?"

"I'll get you in the vault safe for the Sword of Godric Gryffindor," Griphook bargained without a second's lapse. "It's only fair since it's one of the very few goblin made weapons still in existence."

Hermione faltered just for a bit, knowing that they would need the sword for killing the horcrux after obtaining it but she also understood that getting into Gringotts rested solely on the goblin's good will. "Deal," she finally agreed.

Nodding, Griphook stood from his perch on the sofa and made his way back to their room.

"You aren't happy with the deal," Jasper noted as soon as Griphook was out of ear shot. "You also don't particularly trust the little thing."

"We really need the sword for more important purposes than merely to decorate our homes. And no, I don't trust him. What's more, he knows it. Goblins and wizards co-exist only because we have to. They are meticulous but selfish. I'm pretty sure he will cross us, the only question is of how and when," Hermione replied. Then slumped down tiredly on the empty spot closest to her that just happened to be beside Edward. "There's just so much at stake. We can't afford any mistakes. Not now, after all we've been through."

"What is it that you've been through?" Bella asked with a disdainfully raised eyebrow. "You're only seventeen. I refuse to believe you are at the center of a war and the fate of your world is in your hands. I really think you all are a bunch of teenagers eager for their two minutes of fame."

Hermione looked up then and smiled amusedly. "Ignorance really is bliss, isn't it? I really hope Bella that you never have to go through what we have faced," she said with all the goodness she possessed in every fiber of her being.

"What do you know about me to judge me and call me an ignorant?" Bella bellowed. "I am a child of divorce. I am a human in love with a vampire who left me for my own good. It sent me into an abyss of darkness. I jumped through a cliff to see him one more time and then flew half way around the world to save him from killing himself."

Hermione stared at the young girl, then turned to Edward and raised one eyebrow in the most chastising manner he had ever seen, before he averted his gaze. Then turning back to Bella, Hermione smiled yet again. "If only my problems were a divorce between my parents and a forbidden love…"

"Don't! Just don't!" Bella stood up in her anger and flexed her fists. "You don't know how it feels to be in love and then hurt," she said taking Edward on yet another guilt trip. "I needed the pain, it assured me that he was real."

"I know what a broken heart feels like Bella," Hermione spoke with patience again. Her calm nature really confused the others about who was the more mature one amongst the two girls. "The boy I loved left me too. The only difference between us is that I didn't mope around. I stood by my best friend and we continued forward."

"Really, so you're judging me on my depression too? You may live in a body of a teenager, but you do have an old man's head on your shoulders. You sound just like my father! 'Bella' he would tell me, 'life goes on. I hate to see you hurt. Don't do this to yourself. It all boiled down to just this – I love Edward with all my heart and prefer death over a separation from him."

"You hurt your father? For him?" Hermione asked pointing a finger at Edward while looking at Bella, suddenly furious, "A vampire, you met, what, a year or so ago?"

"Now you've got wisdom on something about parental love too?"

"Yes! As a matter of fact I do. While I am pretty much tolerant, even I draw a line at mistreating one's parents. You are lucky you have your father with you, who cares so much about you. You can see him, talk to him every day. See Harry? Now he has been an orphan since he was a little more than a year old. He has had to live the life of a servant at his aunt's house for the first eleven years of his life. Luna lost her mother when she was just a child. You can literally feel the pain every time you see Luna with her dad, even after so many years they miss her mother so much. Ron's entire family is fighting in this war. The poor chap goes crazy with worry every time they announce the deaths and disappearances on the wizarding radio. Imagine that – not knowing if you'll ever see your family again, if it ever will be whole when you see them all? And what's worse, they'll probably all meet only in the battlefield now."

Hermione finished her tirade with an angry glare focused solely on Bella. Though Jasper, with his empathic abilities realized there was more to it all than met their eye. "What about you?" he asked softly. "You didn't mention anything about your parents."

"Miss Perfect here obviously has the perfect family so she only highlighted her friends' problems Jasper," Bella snorted.

Hermione flipped! "You are right," Hermione spat out the words. "I am a perfectionist and yes I had the perfect family. My parents loved me, doted on me and being an only child I was the center of their world. Nothing, not even the divide caused by my magic got between us; but the war caught on. Being the chosen ones best friend comes with a price and I paid it. I am a target and by extension so were my parents. So last year, just before running off with Harry and Ron for our mission, I modified their memories. I removed myself from their memories and gave them an urge to sell everything off and go make a new life on a whole new continent. If and when this all settles, I'll get them back but till then they have the safety afforded to them by their new identities and should I die in this war, they are at the very least spared the grief of lamenting for their only child because without me to remove the oblivion spell, they will never remember that they even have a daughter."

"So, I tell you again Bella. Do not squander your blessings. You are lucky to be safe and between your friends and family, treat them with the love and respect they deserve."

And with that final statement, Hermione walked up the stair to check on her friends and to find out why Ron hadn't sent Luna down the way she had instructed. She'd already lost her parents in a way, she'd be damned if she gave up on her friends too.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 05:**

The Cullens, the magicals sans the older wizard and the goblin, along with Bella were sitting in the big white house's sitting room on the pristine sofas, waiting for the 'other team' that had promised their aid to the Cullens in the upcoming newborn vampire war.

Harry looked around the assembly and gave a slight smile to his best friends. He didn't know what had conspired between Hermione and the Cullens but she had come flying into their room and then flung herself at him making him see nothing more than her bushy brown hair and hugged him so tight that he had had to gasp for breath later. She was sad. He had figured that out but he was sure her sadness had nothing to with the Cullens or even their human friend. Something had stirred something deep in Hermione and she had been unable to control her emotions, which given their current situation, were anyways frayed to begin with. So, he'd been the best friend she'd need and held her close and as luck would have it Ron had walked in. Not that were doing anything untoward, they weren't, but a broken expression had crossed his other best friend's face, tough he had quietly slipped in and sat himself on Hermione's other side, rubbing her back while Harry had patted her shoulder. Within a few minutes Luna had waltzed in, Hermione had effectively rubbed her tears dry and they had strategized their plans for the newborn vampire war and the Gringotts break-in.

Dobby had secured the required hair and Hermione had revisited Alice's memory several times to recreate Bellatrix Lestrange's dress. Needless to say, her only spectator and aid, Alice, had been completely bowled over by her prowess.

Mr. Olivander had used his feeble strength and immense wandlore knowledge to fashion them a bent wand just like Bellatrix's. He had spelled enough charms on it to fool the goblins and they had tried it on the only goblin available – Griphook.

Griphook, however, had not liked being taken in by the 'young nuances' as he'd called them and scathingly nodded that the wand would do its work. Though, true to his heritage, he did not forgive the trio for their small act, ergo his absence for the meeting. Griphook was out sulking! And Harry did not give a flying pigmy puff about it!

After this meeting, the trio were to go to Gringotts and do the needful. Griphook had grudgingly informed them that the goblins travelled through untraceable floo networks between the global branches and their closest floo was just a short distance away – in the Grigotts branch of the magical side of Seattle.

One of the vampires were to drive them till the café that led to the magical side and under the cover of the night, the trio would get into the bank and floo to London, where the branch would already be open and working by then. From there, Harry was sure, hell would break lose anyway!

So now, they all waited for the other magical creatures to come; and then as if by his summons, Rosalie announced that the dogs were there. First the vampires, with Carlisle and Edward in the lead, the girl Bella sticking close to Edward's side, stepped out, followed by the witches and the wizards. Harry gave a fond smile when he saw his two best friends almost covering him with their own bodies. _What would I ever do without them?_

One by one, humongous men stepped out of the trees, with only one women in their midst. All the boys looked to be in their early twenties and were exceptionally well built. While Harry and his friends stood marveling at the group in front of them, Bella gasped, "Jacob!" and pushed past Edward into their arms of the tallest boy in the group.

 _There's definitely a fucked up love triangle here_ Harry thought smirking at the scene playing in front of him. Jacob, the boy thus identified by Bella, moved forward with a quick swear word and held Bella just before her head would have crashed on the ground. He then engulfed her in his rather large arms and dwarfed her completely in his embrace, kissing the top of her head affectionately. Then, he slyly turned his head towards Edward, Harry noted frowning, and flashed him a smug smile. Edward glared in retaliation and both his sisters harrumphed in annoyance.

"If we are quite done with the greetings, I would like to introduce you all to our guests who have also agreed to help us with the coming war," Jasper started, his eyes trained on the second tallest man of the group but he was definitely better built than the infamous Jacob, Harry thought. _Some feat that is!_

"Sam," Jasper said, "and his pack, meet Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood." Jasper then turned to them and Harry quickly fixed his eyes on him. "Guys, meet the pack. This is Sam, their alpha. Followed by Jarod, Paul, Quil, Embry, Jacob, Seth and Leah."

"Pack?" Hermione asked, ever the curious.

"We're werewolves," Sam supplied in a smug tone.

"What? Really?" Hermione asked, the look of absolute concentration on her face. "Does the American Ministry provide free wolfsbane?"

"What?" Paul asked. "What are you talking about, beautiful?"

A small blush crept on Hermione's cheeks at his praise and his blatantly hungry looks and Harry found himself and Ron snarling at them. Surprisingly though, he also heard a snarl from his right and turned to look for its source. _Edward? Huh, maybe he just disagrees with them all on principle?_ Harry shrugged and threw a murderous look at Paul.

"I meant," Hermione cut in, glaring at Harry and Ron and then at Edward before turning back to Paul, "you guys look quite well-built. If you indeed are werewolves, you must have an easy access to wolfsbane to maintain such health. So, does your ministry supply it for free?"

At all their collective confusion, Luna cut in. "Hermione, I don't think they are werewolves like our friend back home. You can change _into wolves_ , can't you? At you own will?"

While nodding in affirmative at the question, Jacob suddenly looked up at the lilting, sweet voice of the stranger. Till then, he had just pushed the conversation around him to the back of his mind and was revering in having Bella in his arms, in front of the leeches, no less. But a soft word from that voice and his eyes had immediately gravitated to their source.

What he saw there, took his breath away, literally. She was a goddess, he was sure, with her flowing silver-gold hair, translucent porcelain skin, big and beautiful silver eyes. Of their own accord, his arms fell off of Bella and _snip_ went his boyish crush on the girl. And now he knew it was just a crush because what he felt for the girl on the far end of the group in front of him was so much more than what he had ever felt Bella.

With just one look, she became his everything – his air, his gravity, his life. _Damn! I should have paid more attention to the introductions! What was her name?_

Jacob didn't know he had spoken the question out loud until the girl in question turned towards him and flashed him a dazzling smile. "I'm Luna Lovegood," she smiled and offered him her hand to shake. In a daze, Jacob walked up to her and shook her offered hand; and he could swear he felt electricity shoot through him at that ordinary touch. But even as he thought that, he knew nothing about this girl was ordinary, not for him. She would forever hold his interest, come what may and he would forever strive to be her everything, whatever she needed.

He heard a soft shuffling beside his girl, his wolf senses making even the softest sound a loud clank and suddenly he found himself at the end of a pointed stick stuck right at his throat.

"I suggest you take a step back, shape-shifter," Hermione warned Jacob.

"Oh, Hermione, don't worry, he won't harm me. Right, Jacob?" Jacob only stupidly nodded. _Way to make an impression, idiot!_ he thought in his mind and heard a chuckle which he just knew came from a very amused Edward but he didn't have it in him to care. "Hermione, meet my soul-mate, Jacob. Jacob, this is one of my best friends, Hermione Granger."

With that little introduction, a pandemonium broke out! _Only Luna could manage this!_ Harry watched the debacle in silence where Hermione reeled from her shock, Bella screamed and sobbed, the _pack_ looked on comically at the new pair and the vampires swore colourfully, much to the vexation of their mother-figure. Finally he'd had enough.

Pointing his own wand at his throat, he muttered a sonorous maximus and roared out loud, "SILENCE!" All the magical creatures gathered, shut off their ears with their hands at the loud sound.

"Well, now that I have your attention, I suggest we start with the meeting as Ron, Mione and I have some place important to be. Jacob, Luna will be staying back here so you can further your acquaintance then. Can we continue now?"

Everyone nodded. "So," Harry started but was cut by Hermione.

"Uhm.. Sam," Sam turned to look at the petite girl who had called for him. "You are not a pack of werewolves. Werewolves can't change their shape at will. It is only during the full moon that their shape changes, they lose all coherent thought and all their ties with the human within are severed for those long hours of the night. You guys, on the other hand, are natural shape-shifters. Lycanthropy is non-genetic and is caused by a bite of the werewolf on a full moon's night. You, on the other hand, are born with the genes that activate depending on their trigger. In some societies, it's age, in others it's a specific situation. Though you must remember you are _not_ werewolves, okay?"

"And how do you know all that?" Sam incredulously asked.

"She's Hermione Granger. She knows everything," Ron shook his head and smiled mischievously at his best friend, especially when she returned it with a scowl.

Not knowing how to respond to that piece of information, Sam only nodded his thanks and then asked for the meeting to start.

All the plans of the vampires and the shape-shifters were nulled by the wizarding folk. "We'd rather not hurt you in the battle, so we suggest you make the second line of this battle. The reinforcements, if you may. Tell us the place and the four of us will take care of it. If, however, the army turns to be more than twenty odd newborns," Harry pulled out is wand again and used it to draw a battle plan out on the mud there.

"Are we all on the same page?" he asked after he was done.

"So, you want us to stay away unless called. Is that it?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Essentially, yes." Harry agreed.

Sam looked at the Cullen patriarch for affirmation. Carlisle too nodded. "Alright then, we're in." Sam acknowledged and then left with his pack, only Jacob staying back.

"How about I quickly check on Mr. Olivander and then you take me out for dinner?" Luna asked Jacob and he nodded his head vigorously.

"I'll keep an eye on Mr. Olivander. You kids have fun," Carlisle offered and earned the immediate gratitude of a very smitten wolf. Smiling dazedly, Luna followed Jacob out to the woods, hand in hand.

"And that's just the tip of the crazy iceberg that is Loony's life," Ron snickered and was immediately hit upon his head by both his best friends.

"He looks… alright. And she has always.. liked magical creatures. It might work," Harry offered and was in turn hit by Hermione.

"If he keeps her happy, I'm happy for her. If not, I'll personally make sure he won't ever sire heirs," Hermione said and then turned, smiling pleasantly at her shocked audience. "Maybe it's time we leave?"

Shaking away their mirth at Hermione's threat, as both her best friends knew she could do that and more should she so wish, they gathered themselves and moved towards Jasper, expecting him to be the one the drop them at Seattle.

"Edward will be accompanying you guys," Jasper said sadly. "He beat us at rock, paper, scissors, the bloody mind reader," he muttered softly but Esme heard him nevertheless, as expected really, what with her being a vampire and all that jazz, and chastised him accordingly.

Walking to the silver Volvo, Hermione and Harry got in the back seat with Griphook between them and Ron took up the passenger seat. All the way to Seattle, Ron told Edward all about his family's flying car and complimented his 'dashboard' for the various buttons and the music system.

Hermione gave Edward a soft smile when he looked in the rear mirror in complete shock at Ron's solemn words about his car's music system. "Wizards," she mouthed and chuckled and Edward found himself sharing in her mirth.

In all of this, Alice was the only one who quietly walked to her sobbing friend and hugged her, steering her towards her car and sending her back home.

Bella did not like the new turn of events at all!


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Sorry about the long wait but I'mupdating quite a few chapters, hoping that it makes it up to you.**

 **DO R &R! Thanks!**

 **CHAPTER 06:**

With a quick nod of their heads the teenagers thanked Edward and dashed off into the café behind the hobbling goblin. Edward could not believe the intense feeling that arouse in him to follow them, to go along with them to ensure their safety but he quelled it down, knowing that it was not his place to be.

He drove back home sedately, wondering what the hell had happened especially after he remembered he had left a terribly sobbing Bella in the middle of his porch to drop Hermione and her friends off to Seattle, a task his other brothers were all over themselves to do, yet he had beaten them in a time honored game of tie-breaker and cheated mercilessly by reading their minds to attain the privilege.

 _Why?_

No answer.

So he just drove onwards, for once so lost in thoughts that he forgot his eccentric need for speed.

It was hours, long, agonizing hours later that Edward and his siblings finally heard three pops in the woods near their homes.

He had reached home, half-heartedly indulged in video games with Emmett only to avoid Alice's stern lecturing about his mistreatment of his girlfriend, (not that it stopped the little pixie-like vampire from giving him an earful straight in his head), gotten dressed, gone to school with his siblings, half-assed Bella barely feigning interest in her woes about Jacob's imprinting and what that meant for their friendship.

Despite the particularly pathetic topic of discussion, Edward was on edge and it had nothing to do with the sordid effect the crumbling friendship between his girlfriend and the boy who had a severe crush on her was having on the said girlfriend because he was now irrevocably in love with someone else. No, that was not cause of Edward's concern at all.

What really concerned Edward was the trio of friends he had dropped off in Seattle in the early hours of the same morning and their fates that had him on edge. He just wanted Hermione to be back at his home where he could see her, inhale her unique coconut and jasmine fragrance and most importantly where he could ensure her safety.

All through the day Jasper had cocked his brow at Edward and he had ignored his knowing looks. Jasper's looks making him feel like he knew something that eluded him. Then when the three pops had come, Jasper had visibly stumbled by the force of his emotions and yet Edward had rushed uncaringly to the door to see their guests for himself.

They heard them before they saw them.

"I'm gonna kill that little cockroach. He double crossed us, that rat bastard," Hermione huffed in annoyance. Her voice, though agitated, calmed Edward's frayed nerves immediately, yet again earning him a raised brow from his empath brother. Edward simply scowled and gave him the two finger salute, much to Jasper's amusement.

"Though, Mione, I never thought you had it in you. I mean, can you believe it Harry, that _she_ , the great Hermione Granger, the insufferable know-it-all, the bookworm extraordinaire who hates brooms with a vengeance, who barely passed her flying classes, had it in her to suggest such an audacious idea," Ron chuckled, "Honestly, Mione, you are the most wonderful witch I've ever met."

At that, Edward barely managed to refrain his snarl. The word _why_ again sprouted in his mind.

"I must say Mione, we sure are rubbing off on you. First you found breaking rules invigorating, now you suggested we fly a dragon to run away from a bank robbery, I can't wait for what's on next," Harry grinned. A good flight always cheered him up. The fact that he'd just flown a dragon was all the more merrier.

"Did you just say dragon? You guys flew a dragon?" Emmett's booming voice reached the trio in the woods and the vampires heard their steps falter.

"Oh! I forgot about their super-hearing," Hermione smacked her head. Then replying Emmett's question, since it would be rude not to, "Yes, we did. The stupid goblins had kept a full grown dragon to guard the vault we broke into and the blubbering idiots used pain to control it. The tosspots drove the poor chap blind. Gah! How I hate goblins!" Hermione stomped her foot in anger.

The trio finally stepped out of the woods.

"Took you long enough," Edward smiled his welcome, unable to control his face splitting grin.

"Yeah, we've had a busy day. Besides the bank robbery that practically drowned us in gold that burned our skin, we had to fly out of the bank on a blind dragon all the way to Highlands. I put up enchantments on the poor dear and I hope you all don't mind but I've also invited a friend of ours, Ron's older brother actually, out here to arrange for the dragon's safe transport to a reserve. He looked too weary and worn to be left alone, fending for himself in the wild." Hermione spoke non-stop till she perched herself tiredly on the couch.

"Yeah, trust Mione to champion the cause of a creature that tried, quite diligently I must add, to roast us alive," Ron taunted Hermione and fell in a heap beside her. Smiling at his two friends, Harry found the spot on the other side of Hermione. He had missed it all when Ron had left them alone for those few weeks.

"I hope you guys are hungry, I've cooked a meal for all," Esme called the trio and served them hot chicken pies around the table in the kitchen.

"Oh, how I love you, Mrs. Cullen," Ron smiled at the same time as Hermione said, "Oh, you didn't have to go through the trouble for us Mrs. Cullen."

"It was nothing dear. And please call me Esme," Esme smiled and bid them again to the kitchen to eat before the food turned cold.

Another pop sounded right in front of the Cullen's door and Harry followed by Hermione and Ron immediately clutched their wands and were at the door.

Seeing the goofily smiling, stockily built red head, Ron flew to his side and jabbed his wand at the newcomer's throat. "What was the last thing you told me when we met last Christmas?"

Charlie smirked. "Interesting question little brother. I told you, you were an absolute fool unworthy of our family name for leaving your friends in the middle of the wilderness. I also voiced my suspicion about mum having dropped you a couple of times on your head as a baby because you suspected sheer shit brewing between your two best friends. Friends, that I might add, you are closer to that your own family, you git. Why Mione and Harry put up with you is a mystery, really," the elder of the two Weasleys shrugged.

Ron pushed his elder brother on the shoulder before embracing him with the odd sideways hugs that boys did. Harry moved ahead and did the same. Hermione, however, gave Charlie a proper hug that he returned in kind.

"So, Miss Granger, care to explain why is it that I always find you rescuing dragons and sending them my way?" Charlie wiggled her brows suggestively and gave her nose a playful pinch. "If it's for catching my eye, you've done the job brilliantly."

"Always full of yourself Charlie. Honestly, sometimes I feel you give the demonic twins a run for their money," Hermione smiled at his teasing reminder of her smuggling Nobert, or Noberta, as they'd later figured out, out of Hogwarts to save Hagrid from suspension and most students from getting burned.

"Why, thank you, love. I'm glad to know I performed my big brother duties well." Ron snorted. "Hey, do you really think Percy would have been able to guide those two through their.. let's just say childhood," Charlie laughed. His booming laughter quite similar to that of Emmett's.

The trio chuckled. Charlie gave the three a loving elder brotherly look, much to the surprise of the vampires. "So, now's a good time as any to explain why you three are living with class 2B vampires and why, in the name of all that's holy, do you have a full grown dragon under enchantments in the Highlands?"

"Class 2B?" Alice whispered, bringing the newcomer's attention to the vampires in question.

"Yeah," Charlie nodded. "Like you guys, you know, the animal drinkers," he shrugged in the way of explanation.

"We're classified separately? I never knew there were so many of us," Carlisle marveled, happy to know that the more humane diet he advocated was followed more widely than he had previously thought.

"Hmm," Charlie hummed. "Not as many as you'd like, but definitely enough to push a few older ones to give the new diet a try with them. I'm sure our Mione will have the book on the classification of magical creatures if you wish to read more."

Curiosity sky-rocketing, the entire vampire family looked expectantly at Hermione who smiled at their innocent inquisition. She bent down and pulled out her small beaded bag from where she'd hidden it in her socks and summoned the book out of the bag, the big tome flying out with a few others.

Classification of Magical Creatures, History of Vampires, The Big Book of The Vampire Wars of Southern America being the thicker ones along with two more smaller ones.

"You can have these. As a token of our gratitude, for housing us and feeding us," Hermione smiled warmly.

"That reminds me, dinner time kids. Please do join your friends, dear," Esme added looking at Charlie.

"Sure will ma'am. I'm Charlie, by the way, Charles Weasley actually but I prefer going by Charlie. I'm a dragon keeper and work on a reserve in Romania. Mum insists that the tall, lanky thing there is my youngest brother, I have my doubts though and she has adopted the other two as extra children since they first visited our place when they were all of twelve."

The unbridled warmth that Charlie exuded soon earned him the vampire family's approval and friendship.

When half their pies were gone, Hermione finally noted an absence. "So, where is Luna?" she asked looking around.

"Out with the mutt. But don't worry, he'll die rather than let any harm come to her," Edward supplied at her worried look.

"Luna? Xenophiles' daughter?" Hermione nodded while Ron added. "She found her 'soul-mate'," he made air quotations, "last night. A natural shape-shifter."

Charlie whistled. "Xenophiles is gonna hit the roof when he finds out his daughter's dating a guy way across the pond."

"He's earned what's coming his way. The bastard betrayed us, you know," Ron informed his brother.

"It's not his fault. They had captured Luna. What's a parent to do?" Hermione once again surprised Edward and his family with her compassion.

Seeing the rather angry looks on the boys' faces, Charlie decided that a change of subject was in order. "So, care to tell me why here?"

"It's Sirius' fault really. I saw the picture of a meadow close-by in his library and when the snatchers were chasing us, I used an old bit of blood magic to gather Harry and Ron and brought us here. I only did not know that the place was halfway across the globe!" Hermione rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. "Though why the Black's library had the said picture," Hermione shrugged her shoulders in the universal gesture of 'I don't know'.

"Did you say Blacks?" Emmett asked from his place on the sofa in the other room.

"Yeah," Hermione agreed.

"The mutt dating your friend is a Black too," Jasper informed them.

"Oh! I'll have to look into that then," Hermione whispered to herself, amusing the others around her.

"'Course you do. We can't have a mystery and not have the know-it-all solve it," Charlie teased but completely with brotherly affection. "Now, my last question – what now?"

"We need you to take Mr. Olivander to a safe house," Harry started. "We'll be here till the end of this week and then we'll come back and end it," he finished.

"Why are you staying?" Charlie asked, his gut telling him he was not going to like their reason.

"There's a small battle here. Once we're done with that, we'll be back. Have the Order ready for the Final Battle," Hermione said wanly.

"What battle? And this time I want the complete information," he warned the three in front of him, fixing each of them with a stare he had perfected over the years that made even the well-seasoned dragons do his bidding.

"There are about twenty newborn vampires coming this way to kill this family and their son's girlfriend. So, we offered assistance," Ron answered his brother honestly.

"When?"

"Three days from now," Alice's musical lilt answered him this time from the sitting room.

Quickly calculating his work, Charlie immediately stood up. "I'll drop off Mr. Olivander at Shell Cottage with Bill, pop in at the HO and pass your message, round up your wayward dragon and be back in two days. DO NOT, I mean it – DO NOT DO ANYTHING STUPID AND RASH, you get me?"

"You know we can't promise that. One of them," Ron pointed at Harry and Hermione, "is a trouble magnet. We're bound to do something rash that will undoubtedly be stupid."

"We'll take care Charlie," Hermione pinched Ron's side and smiled at Charlie ignoring his brother's jump of surprise.

"That's all I'm asking. Say hi to Luna for me and tell her I'll have a look at her beau once I'm back." Charlie hugged his little brother and the boy and girl he regarded as extra siblings, thanked and bid his farewell to the Cullen family and hopped up the stairs. A few minutes later they all heard a soft pop and with that Charlie apparated out with the old wizard in his arms.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 07:**

The day of the newborn battle had dawned and everyone was thrumming with nervous energy. To keep Bella safe, it was decided to hide her in a different location, away from the main battle.

Despite Edward's insistence to stay and fight with the rest, Carlisle, without broking any of his laments, sent him with Bella to her secret hide-out. Seth, from the pack of shape-shifters was also ordered to do the same. Just as the trio was leaving, Charlie popped in and on the spur of moment decided to tag along with them, knowing that the crazy she-vampire would be heading straight to them and not to the battlefield at all.

Ron and Harry had visited the safe-place with Edward the previous night so they knew the location perfectly. Harry made short work of sharing the location with Charlie and Charlie grabbed Bella's hand, instructed her to stay put and apparated away with her. Edward and Seth wished luck to the group left behind and were on their way too. Seth had always got along fine with the vampires, much to his pack's annoyance, so Edward waited for him to phase and together they ran through the woods. "You're on," everyone heard Edward say while looking at the brown wolf as they both sped ahead in a blur.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Luna placed and hid themselves up on strategically placed tress from where they could fire their hexes without harming their friends. The pack hid themselves close to their trees to keep their backs safe, should any of newborn decide on a small detour. Jarod took post near Harry's tree, Paul near Ron's, Jacob near Luna's and Leah near Hermione's. Sam, Quil and Embry patrolled between them all. The Cullens waited right in the front of the battle field, ready to bait the army.

Hermione carefully placed a few safety wards around both the groups and also some masking spells on the pack members to keep their scent away from the newborns. On themselves, the quadrant cast Disillusionment Charms and hid themselves perfectly within the thick foliage. Quickly whipping out her wand, Hermione sent a patronus to Charlie to do the same for Seth and himself. For Bella, they had spread out her scent to lead a few false trails all around the place.

And then the wait began.

The wait always grated on everyone's nerves, but for a change this time, they didn't have too long to fiddle their thumbs. The army of the newborn vampires came into view and they all waited for it to come closer at just the right spot, and when it did, as one the wizarding folks fired slicing hexes all through the ground on their side and when not one body was left whole, they threw off incendios in quick succession. Only when the entire army was burned to dust and a sickly sweet smell was permeating the air did the four youngsters jump down from their spots on the trees.

"Way to save time," Jasper smirked at them appreciatively.

The vampires and the wolves then thoroughly patrolled the area for strays from the army. Knowing the situation was then under control, Harry with Ron side-along apparated Hermione and the three joined Charlie in guarding the small tent, Luna having stayed behind with Jacob, much to the latter's pleasure and the trio's amusement.

Seth, who had witnessed the short war through the pack's mind link, informed his companions of their victory at the battle below the mountains and that the trio of friends was on their way up to meet them as the pops signaling their arrival rang through the area.

"Morning my adventurous trio," Charlie greeted them proudly. "My confidence in your prowess has significantly increased. Color me impressed, little ones."

"Ever the sweet-talker," Hermione teased him, just as Seth broke in.

"I can smell a blood sucker."

"Not this one, eh mate?" Ron grinned pointing at Edward, the former still giddy from their quick win with the army.

"Be nice," Harry chastised and Hermione and Charlie simultaneously raised their brows. Hermione bit her lower to keep from laughing, Charlie having no such qualms gave out a belly filled chortle.

"Zip it!" Edward hissed. "You're too loud. She's changed directions mid-way, she's heading here and trying to identify the number of smells."

"Hide!" Charlie ordered and the trio, along with Charlie flanked the tent, covering it on all four sides. Seth took his place inside the tent with Bella who hadn't stepped out of it since the previous day when she'd gotten in and Edward stood guard by the tent's flap door.

Shortly, Victoria came flying through the trees. Harry, being used to looking for tiny little snitches even in the most atrocious weather, immediately identified the blur of white and threw off a particularly nasty stinging hex.

Caught off guard, and for the first time in her long un-dead afterlife, feeling something akin to a life-like sensation, even a normal easily forgotten sting, caught Victoria off-guard and she immediately fell off mid-way through her jump. Everything after that was a peculiar blur.

Colors slammed into the vampire writhing on the floor, her limbs torn from her body by a myriad hexes, an overly excitable wolf and an angry vampire. In one sweep of a wand, one of the wizards lit a pyre near the tent and another levitated the broken body of disjoined limbs and torso into it, coating the crisp, cold morning air with a sickeningly sweet putrid stench.

Anti-climatically, the sole perpetrator of the day's battle emerged from the confines of her little tent and ran into the arms of the copper-haired vampire, plastering herself to his side, burying her face in the crook under his arm. Automatically, Edward reached for Bella and locked her under his arm.

The muggle, the vampire, the shape-shifter and the wizarding folks all looked at the pyre, finally a calm settling over them all, however miniscule the minute may be for some of them..


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 08:**

In the witching hour, in the quiet of the night, Harry Potter was ready to face the battle that was long brewing with the wizard that had destroyed his family, his childhood and his world in every way he could.

"Where to now, Harry?" he heard the soft questioning voice of his best friend from beside him.

He smiled at her in the darkness, "Where it all began, Mione. Back to Hogwarts."

He felt more than saw her head bob and then a soft shuffling later, she was beside him, beaded bag in sock and wand in hand and she clasped his hand in hers. "We'll finish this."

"Together." He heard another raspy voice from the other side.

He nodded at his other friend. Even his desertion had nothing on his unwavering loyalty. "Ready?" Harry asked Ron.

In answer, Ron pushed his lithe body off the mattress and joined him and Hermione. "Aren't I always?" he grinned cheekily and winked. "What do we do about Loony though?"

Hermione quickly slapped him up his head. "We ask her, of course. If she comes then great, if not we can tell her father about her whereabouts and he can take it from there."

"Of course I'll come along. Why would I ever not?" Luna's dreamy voice cut through, as she and Jacob walked into their room, their hands firmly clasped in each other's. Before Hermione could get in a word, Luna shook her head, "We are the DA. We stick together, we fight together. None of us want sneak to be pimpled across our foreheads, now, do we?" Luna smiled, her pale skin and pearl white teeth shining in ethereal beauty in the filtering moon light of their darkened room.

The wizards gave a mischievous smile to Hermione who flushed under their teasing smirks.

"I'll come with," Jacob said and as one the wizarding folks shook their heads.

"No offence mate, but you wouldn't stand a chance against magic, much less dark one. We need you to be here and mind the fort until Luna comes back to you and then you can help her heal," Harry and Ron both spoke together, each completing the other's sentence.

"So, Charlie is getting the back up and said he'd inform the Order about our plan before he left so we now just need to apparate out?" Harry looked at Hermione for confirmation. She nodded once.

"Let's leave then. We can keep a letter for the Cullens on the dining table and pop out," Ron shrugged as he pulled his backpack on his shoulder.

"They are vampires, you idiot. They aren't asleep like the other folks. If my understanding of the family is correct, they are as boisterously loving as your own brood and are probably listening in on our conversation from downstairs and worrying sick about our choices."

A booming laugh followed Hermione's words. And loud, "That's right." "We _are_ worried," followed in different member's voices.

"So much for leaving without disturbing anyone," Harry grinned and pulled on his own rucksack over his back.

"You live with the vampires, you live with non-existent privacy," came another indignant voice from the hallway below.

Laughing riotously, the trio exited the room, Luna and Jacob following soon behind. Once down, they bid their farewells to the Cullens with a promise to stay in touch should they live to see the other side of the war.

Emmett, being the big baby that he was, hugged them all and Ron was sure that if vampires could cry, at least Esme would be breaking down on her husband's shoulder. _They do make a good couple,_ he smiled warmly at the picture they made, thinking of his own parents in their lovey-dovey displays that he had so affluently gagged at along with his siblings but now more than anything hoped that he could see it again, he hoped that his family survived intact and that the children who were fighting the adults' war sufficed in their prowess.

"Please pass on our good wishes and best luck to Edward and Bella," smiled Harry at Carlisle. Unaware of their guests' impending departure, Edward was again spending the night at Bella's and both were thus conspicuously absent from the gathered party.

Jacob gave one lingering kiss to Luna before she stepped away from him. _Be safe_ he thought in his mind, his inner wolf roaring at him to not let his imprint go towards the danger she was headed for, but in just the two days he had spent with her, he knew his Luna well enough to know that she would never stay back, she just wasn't a coward at all. He laughed, _she is probably the bravest girl I've ever met_ he thought, unwittingly, unintentionally comparing her, his imprint, to his previous crush and best friend. He visibly shook himself, he couldn't do his imprint that big an injustice, he couldn't, he wouldn't compare her to the.. other girl.. he sighed, watching the pale beauty standing beside the red headed wizard.

Suddenly he felt warm hands clasp his, "I'll keep her safe. I'll send her back to you.. or I'll die trying," the bushy-haired brunette witch spoke in soft hushed tones as she gave him a small smile. She gave his large hands one last squeeze of reassurance, that he barely had time to return, before she turned on her heels and joined her three friends.

Smiling their good-byes, the four apparated away, their pops ringing loudly as they twisted on the spots they stood and disappeared into thin air.

"Alice!" Rosalie whispered harshly.

"On it!" Alice nodded and ran into the house, seating herself by the glass wall, a sketch-pad in hand. Jasper flew to her side and Rosalie and Emmett followed suite. Esme smiled warmly at Jacob and both her and Carlisle extended an invite to him to share in Alice's visions.

"Might as well," Jacob accepted their invite. Till Luna didn't return to his side, he knew he would be hard-pressed for sleep anyway. Sighing Jacob joined the six Cullens in their spacious drawing room. Not an hour in, Alice was frantically scratching the pad in front of her, her hazy unseeing eyes seeing something primal to Jacob's own survival.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 09:**

It had been two months. Two months since the magical teens had left his house. Two months since they had won the newborn war. Two months since they had gone ahead and won their own war. Two months since he'd seen _her_.

He'd returned in the wee hours of the morning that day that felt so long ago. He'd spent the entire evening soothing Bella's unreasonable insecurities, then cradled her as she slept; yet when he'd watched her sleep that night, he'd felt _odd_. For the first time since he'd started what others would call stalking, he'd felt the wrongness in his voyeuristic activities. He'd felt as if he shouldn't have been there, as if something else… _someone else_.. had needed him elsewhere. He'd left Bella's room at the first light and run his fastest, making it back at a record time of just a few long seconds and yet it had been late.. too late. _She_ had left. _Gone_. Without so much as a goodbye wave.

He had been disoriented since. Nothing had felt right. Not school. Not hunts. Not the rains, nor the sunny days. And definitely not his relationship with Bella. _What was wrong?_ Edward wanted to scream in frustration.

His only consolation.. their owls. He smirked, thinking back to the first time they had received a letter, the owl dropping itself unceremoniously on Emmett's lap and then giving him a baleful look before sticking it's leg out, much to the big vampire's shock and everyone's amusement. They knew they had won the war of course, Alice's visions had been spot on and once he'd come back, he'd looked into her mind himself and witnessed the swiftness with which all the wizards had yielded their wands, he'd been spellbound especially whenever Alice's visions had included _her_.

The way she fought was like a dance, her wand sending curses and hexes one after the other. He'd seen her fighting, cursing, killing, running, crying, protecting but not once did he see her breaking, until a large man had carried Harry's limp body. She'd broken then, like nothing could ever make her whole again and he'd been riddled with rage and guilt, at being so far away, unable to hold her crying form and whisper condolences. Then, Harry had jumped out of the large man's arms. She was the first one to collect herself, running by his side, hugging him between the flying spells and then sticking their backs together, they'd fought.. _as one_.. And won! He'd been speechless all through the hours of the battle and then all through the day thinking of every time _she_ had put someone else's well-being before her own and protected them, risking her own life, over and over again.

He didn't know whether to be angry or proud.

After long hours of contemplation, he decided on neither. It wasn't his place to be angry. It wasn't his right to be proud.

He only watched the skies every fifth day. That's when the owls came. For Carlisle, of course. He only ever stood on the sidelines while the letters were read, appreciating the penmanship that went with some of the letters. The others were written in a hen's scratching.

Smirking again, he leaned his forearm by the glass wall in his room, waiting to hear the tell-tale flapping of tired wings that would bring more information about _her_. He chuckled when he heard Emmett moving downstairs, coaxing Esme to prepare a small treat for his new feathered friend.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 10:**

Four months had lapsed since the end of their war. Now, Edward was sure he had to let by-gones be by-gones. They were distant friends, if even that. Oh! How he wished he could forget and move on, but in the long vampire lives, forgetting never came, thence forgiving never came.

Edward's undead life sucked! Bella got on his last frayed nerves, constantly begging to be turned. _Why?_ He had no bloody clue! None what so ever! The only thing now keeping them together was her crazy obsession with him, somehow he felt she'd dip on the wrong side again if he ever left her.

Overall, all things considered, the only thing Edward was even marginally looking forward to was the start of the new term. If only to rid himself of the monotony of his life. Once school started, at least he'd be able to re-learn crap from donkey's years and amuse himself with the surrounding teenagers' witless musings.

CRACK! CRACK!

 _What the….!_

His un-beating heart somehow racing, Edward was at the door in a flash just as his mother opened the door with a broad smile.

"Harry! Hermione!" Esme cried in glee. "Come on in and I'll get some tea going."

"Thank you," Harry smiled at Esme.

"It's been so long," Hermione hugged Esme, uncaring of her ice cold and equally hard body. Esme glowed with something very similar to maternal pride.

"Welcome back dears. We've missed you around here," Esme kissed Hermione's forehead.

"So have we," Hermione smiled, moving from Esme's arms to greet everyone else.

"What brings you to our side of the pond then?" Emmett fired, faking a British accent.

"How are things after the war soldiers?" that was Jasper.

"How are you guys and Ron? We see Luna of course, she makes it a point to visit us every week," Alice said.

"And your godson? Teddy, wasn't it? Why didn't you get him along?" Rosalie asked wistfully.

Harry and Hermione laughed good naturedly. "You haven't spoken a word, Edward," Harry said gleefully. "Don't you have anything to ask us?" Hermione smiled, eyes twinklingly with mirth.

Shaking his head, Edward asked, "What took you so long to find your way back?" Edward saw the beginnings of a frown on Hermione's forehead at his question but before she could say anything, Esme came back with their tea and some cookies and the two thanked her while accepting the cups, the somber mood from Edward's question forgotten.

"When Carlisle told me you two have requested for a meeting with him, I made him promise to send you here to meet all of us and I've stalked up on cookies since," Esme smiled.

"You knew?" It was now Edward's turn to frown.

"We all knew, Eddie. _You_ have been busy with Bella, _we_ have been home," Emmett chuckled.

 _Why didn't I hear a thought about any of this then? Oh yeah, that's right because I've been so lost in my thoughts that reading others mind hasn't been happening lately._

"Now, now," Alice clapped her hands, "Time to answer our questions."

Hermione smiled and obliged. "We're here to seek some professional advice from Carlisle. One of our friends, Teddy Lupin's grandmother in fact, hasn't been keeping well and none of our healers are able to work out her ailment. Harry and I suspect that it could be a muggle disorder so we thought of seeking advice from a muggle doctor; but as things are, we do not have any trusted muggle doctors back in England so we thought of asking for some guidance from Carlisle. We need a doctor that knows about magic so we can provide the best treatment for Andromeda getting both muggle medicines and magical potions together. That's when we wrote to Carlisle and he has thankfully agreed to take a look at her."

"Good. Either ways, it's good to see you again," came Carlisle's voice from the doorway. In a flash he was seated opposite the Britishers and asking for Andromeda's medical documents.

Hermione pulled out her beaded bag from her socks where she had tucked it in for safe-keeping during their travel from UK that evening and she pushed her entire arm in, feeling out for a stack of papers. Everyone heard metal clanking before she finally pulled out a thick wad of parchment, tied together with a red ribbon. "Here it is," she announced triumphantly pulling out the wad completely with some effort. "These are all her records from St. Mungo's, the wizarding Hospital in England."

Nodding, Carlisle accepted the sheaf of papers and started going through them all at vampire speed.

Harry laughed on seeing Hermione's jaw drop. "Wish you could read like that, don't you?" he teased making everyone else chuckle.

"I am sorry," Carlisle said finally. "Nothing apart from blood works makes sense to me. We will have to get some tests done before we decide on what path to proceed."

"Sure. We were in fact expecting nothing else. But how do you suggest we do the tests?" Harry asked

"I need to have a look at her and then I'll write down the tests that need to be done and then we can take it from there after the reports come in," Carlisle said.

"She's too frail to travel though. She lost a lot of weight but we thought it was in the aftermath of the war, what with her losing her husband, daughter and son-in-law. But when she started having fainting spells, we thought to seek some psychological help for her and then it all just snowballed." Hermione shook her head in remorse.

"In that case, how about I come with you now? I'll have a look at her, we'll get the tests done and then I'll come back after we decide on a path ahead?"

"You'd do that?"

Carlisle nodded.

"Oh, thank you," Harry sighed his relief while Hermione's smile of gratitude almost split her face in half.

"Just give me a couple of hours, I'll need to hunt before we leave."

"Sure, we can catch up with your kids till then."

"Yeah, maybe I can even ask Luna to join us here? It's been months since I last saw her."

"Sure. Sure. You kids have fun, I'll be back soon." Then turning to Esme, "Darling you want to come along?"

Hand in hand the parental couple left the kids in the glass house to go hunting together.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 11:**

Carlisle fell onto the ground, bracing himself. If only he was able to, he was sure he would have heaved out his not-so-long-ago hunt on the floor of the wilderness.

" _What_ was that?" he asked between his dry pants, still facing the ground.

"Portkey," Hermione gave him an apologetic smile when he turned to look at her.

"It.. takes some getting used to," Harry added and helped the old vampire to his feet.

Cautiously, the trio made their way to the ground's fencing and then across the street. Hermione pulled out a piece of parchment from the back pocket of her jeans and handed it to Carlisle. "Look inside but never say the words out loud. Then, look between the houses 11 and 13 and think about what you've read," she instructed.

Nodding, Carlisle followed her instructions and then looked between the said houses. Much to his shock, the two brown brick houses seemed to move away from one another to make way for a whole new house!

'12, Grimmauld Place' the plaque on the gate read. _What!_ "H.. How?" he sputtered.

"Magic," Harry grinned and winked, then opening the gates, ushered his guest in. Hermione followed behind, making sure no one was watching them enter. With or without the war, one could never be too careful.

"It's been about a month since I've moved Andromeda in with me to ensure she is cared for and that Teddy is looked after. Mione is living me too. So, when I'm in auror training, Mione keeps an eye out for them." Harry was speaking to Carlisle, giving him a short gist of their lives after the war.

"That's good. Where's your other friend though? Ronald, wasn't it?" Carlisle asked.

"He.. lost a brother in the war, one of the twins. He had started his auror training with me, but then his other brother, the surviving twin needed his help with the shop, so he quit to be with his brother. They run a joke shop in Diagon Alley now. If you'd like to have a look or pop in to say a hi, either Mione or I can take you along. You can even see London's wizarding district that way."

"Wizarding district?" Carlisle asked in surprise.

"Yes. Every major city has one. The one closest to your place is in Seattle where Edward dropped us with the goblin," Harry shrugged then called out for Kreature. Turning, he introduced the two.

"Half breeds in the noble house of Blacks!" Kreature screamed and Harry slammed his hand on his mouth to make him shush.

"Kreature behave yourself. This our guest and you _will_ _not_ disrespect him. Have I made myself clear?" Kreature nodded, muttering to himself something about half-bloods and mudbloods ruining the noble house with their half bred friends.

"Sorry about that," Harry apologized quickly to Carlisle. "He isn't really known for his friendliness. He only tolerates us because he has to. In fact the only person he even remotely likes is Ginny, I never understood why though."

Carlisle was lost. "Ginny is Ron's youngest sister and as of three and a half months back, Harry's girlfriend. He just keeps looking for reasons to bring her up in conversations," Hermione smiled affectionately at Harry.

"Young love," Carlisle chuckled.

"You can have the room on the second floor, third door on the right. I'm in the one next to yours and Mione in the one just below mine. The room below yours is Teddy's and the one beyond his is Andromeda's. If you'd like to, you can freshen up now. Andromeda will wake up in a couple of hours, then you could have a look at her. Meanwhile, feel free to look around. Mione's arranging for some books for you to read. There's a library here of course, but most books are dark and some even hurt and bite, so she's lending you a few safe ones from her private collection. Sorry we don't have a television set or such, the magic interferes with the workings of certain muggle technologies."

Carlisle absorbed all the information in like a sponge, the new world of magic he had stumbled up on engaging his innate curiosity.

Hermione returned a few minutes later with a pile of books in her hands and placed them on the coffee table in the sitting room. "There's a few simple books about things and creatures here and there. On the top though, I've placed the two books that I thought you'd find most interesting. One is about vampires and their different classifications, gifts, history, Volturi, etc., the other is wizards reactions to muggle medicine and technology. It includes all the known and documented reactions, good and bad of muggle marvels to the wizarding kind. I thought it might help you with Andromeda."

Thoroughly intrigued about the existence of such a book, Carlisle picked that one up first and began browsing. Hermione smiled, she could very easily identify with that thirst for knowledge, the painful ache that made one forget all else. She whispered her good night and tugged an amused Harry up the stairs, leaving Carlisle to make himself comfortable on the armchair while leafing through the book at his vampiric speed.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 12:**

CANCER.

That's what all the reports were pointing at.

Carlisle felt the pain that was all but palpable in the haphazard room of the crooked little house that could only be standing due to magic and nothing more, he was sure. The Burrow, Harry and Hermione had called it.

He had met the Weasley one too many times during his three days stay and every time he met the father of the brood, he was cornered into explaining some muggle artefact or the other. But he didn't mind. The Weasley patriarch always returned the favor and answered all of his silly questions about all things magical too.

He met Bill and his pretty wife Fleur, the eldest son and daughter-in-law, in the goblin run bank Hermione had taken him to change his money into the wizarding kind, after they had drawn out cash from an ATM that accepted his American bank's debit card and gave him the required amount of GBP.

He had already met the second eldest, Charlie, back at his place during the newborn vampire war, and as he worked in Romania he wasn't around at the Burrow too much, he was told by Ginny, the youngest and the only Weasley girl, who had met them at Harry's place having volunteered to _help_ Harry while Hermione took him out shopping.

Hermione had taken him to a shop run by a Madam Malkin from where he'd bought dressy robes for all the ladies in his life. Surprisingly, he didn't have to worry about size and fitting since the madam had charmed them to fit the wearer perfectly.

They had then gone on to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, the joke shop and after taking a severe bruising to his retina, Carlisle had been completely bowled over by some of the products, going ahead to even pick up a few for his son Emmett, who he was sure would love the shop to destruction if he ever so much as set a foot there. Ronald had greeted him there like an old friend, introducing his elder brother George, who looked too sad to be running a joke shop but from what he understood, the boy had just lost his twin, so no one could fault him his grief really.

From there, Hermione had taken him to a wizarding sports shop. While he knew buying a broom was an utter waste, he hadn't been able to resist himself and had gone ahead and bought one anyway thinking he'd ask Esme to use it as a showpiece if nothing else. He had also bought a wizarding chess set and a game called exploding snaps from there for his other son Jasper, along with a set of gobstones for Alice, a game Hermione promised to teach her the next they met.

Lastly, they went into Flourish and Bolts and neither wanted to leave. Between the two, he was sure they had bought half the store if not more! While he had bought a few books for his last son Edward, most were for himself and he was already thinking of places to shelf them in his study even as the cashier was ringing in their purchase.

Once out from there, Hermione had banished all of their shopping to Harry's house and they had made way to the muggle hospital where they had gotten a ton of tests run on Andromeda the day before. They were to collect her reports and meet everyone at the Burrow thereafter.

And that's where he was now. After a good long look at all her reports, with a sinking heart, he had spoken his doubts aloud, which unfortunately were doubts no more; bringing him back to the current moment where the air was thick with tension.

"How do we proceed?" Hermione whispered, batting her eyes constantly to keep the tears from falling, though Carlisle felt that was a lost cause as her eyes kept brimming with more water.

"It's still not reached the last stage, so there might be something I can do. I do not guarantee any reversal but we can try. There's a therapy, chemo, it is called, along with some laser that might help.."

"But…." Bill cut in, knowing the vampire's speech was leading in that direction.

"But I need to go back home, to my family. If you want to continue her treatment here, you will need to find a good doctor here itself. I can and definitely will oversee everything, giving my opinion wherever needed but that's all that I can do from the distance."

"Or..?" This time Ron prompted him on.

"Or, I can take her along, keep her in my charge. I can have her admitted in the hospital I work at and I will always be hands-on, available to take care of every single procedure."

"We can't separate Teddy from Andromeda. Not now, not when.." Harry trailed off, shaking his head.

"No, we can't do that to either of them," Mrs. Weasley agreed.

"No. But we can send him along," Hermione thought aloud.

"What?" "How?" rang loudly in the room, everyone voicing their doubts together. All except Ginny and George.

"That's perfect, Mione. If one of us accompanies them, it'll all work out. Dr. Cullen can look after Andromeda and we can take care of Teddy," George agreed.

"I'll go," Ginny immediately volunteered. "They are family after all," she said this looking straight at Harry and gave him a small, shy smile.

"No. You stay and try your luck with the Holyhead Harpies, just like you were planning to. I'll go," Hermione immediately cut in. "Listen to me first," she said, raising her hand and halting everyone's tirade. "I'm only giving NEWTs this year, that too through the ministry. I am the most logical choice. I can study anywhere and give my papers at the Ministry of Magic in Seattle. Everyone else has something or the other binding them here, except me. I am free to move and so I shall. That's my decision and it's final." Hermione crossed her arms on her chest and waited for the first person to crack, knowing that person would change the tide of the outburst that was to follow.

George gave a her hard look and then nodding to himself spoke out loud. "It makes complete sense," he seconded Hermione's decision. "Besides everything else, Hermione needs some time by herself to find out what she wants to do with her life and being there, in the cusp of both muggle and wizarding world, maybe she will find her vocation. She needs to have this chance, it'll do her good."

Slowly, everyone agreed. Ron was the most reluctant though he too gave in at the very end, knowing he'd never be able to shake Hermione's resolve once she'd made it.

"I hope you know what you're doing," he finally said and she nodded, a tad too guilty to meet his eyes.

"It'll be good for you too," she whispered softly to him.

"I doubt it," Ron said and walked away.

Harry placed a hand on her shoulder in a consoling manner and then followed his friend out.

"I guess we need to work out our story and living arrangements in Forks then," Hermione turned to Carlisle and he gave her an encouraging smile.

The Weasleys all sat around the table that one of them conjured out of thin air. Hermione and Carlisle sat opposite one another with the big family all around them. Harry and Ron were the only two missing as they all brain stormed and delegated tasks between themselves to smoothen 'the move across the pond' as Ginny had wisely named the 'mission'.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 13:**

On the fourth day after her husband's sudden departure with the magical teens, Esme finally heard an uncharacteristic thud somewhere outside her home which was followed with some severe swearing from her husband, much to her amusement. In all the years she had known Carlisle, not once had he ever sworn, much less so colorfully!

Moving towards the door, she heard a rather pompous voice saying, "Portkeying takes some getting used to. No matter, you should be good as rain soon, seeing as you are a vampire and all."

Then the two men stepped out. Carlisle looked frazzled and a tall, lanky boy who looked curiously like Ronald but wasn't him, looked smug.

Coming onto the porch, Carlisle's face visibly relaxed into a big grin as he saw his mate after four long days. Crushing her into a hug, then taking her in for a kiss that told her exactly how much he'd thought of her during his travel, he greeted her first, then made way for their guest, introducing him to his wife, "Esme, this is Percy Weasley, a brother of Ron's and Charlie's. Percy, this is my wife, Esme."

After exchanging pleasantries, the trio walked inside the house.

"She is moving here, isn't she?" Alice squealed in her glee.

"Hello to you dear," Carlisle laughed. "And to answer your question, yes, she is."

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Alice jumped up and down in exuberance. "The minute I saw her I knew she was going to be a part of our family. She's finally coming around. I can't wait to have her here. She and I are going to be great friends! Oh, and Carlisle, thank you, I love the robes you've bought me and the gobstones sure look interesting," she continued.

"Anyone wishing to elaborate for us non-future seeing beings?" Rosalie cut in, glaring at Alice.

"Also, what are gobstones? Can I gobble these stones?" Emmett grinned.

"Welcome back Carlisle. We missed you around here," Edward spoke from a corner while trying to check Alice's hyperactive mind for who was coming. Though he did have a clue. Dare he wish it?

"Yeah, we didn't have a fourth for our nightly video games. The girls refused to play," Jasper smiled at his father figure in welcome.

"How was your trip, Carlisle?" Bella asked from her seat beside Edward.

"Good Bella, thank you." Smiling he turned to his family. "Kids!" Carlisle shouted. "This is Percy.."

"Yeah, yeah.. we know. He's Ron's brother. He is here to look for properties for Hermione and her godson and his grandmother."

"What? Hermione's moving here?" Bella stood up in shock.

"Yes! And we're gonna convince her to go to Forks High with us. Oh, this is so exciting! Isn't it exciting, Jasper!"

Seeing his mate so utterly high on exhilaration, Jasper sent more than a few calming waves to her.

Before Bella could voice her question about Hermione's need to attend _their_ school, Percy voiced her thoughts for her. "Why would Mione attend muggle school?" he frowned at the hyper pixie-like, short vampire.

"Because!" Alice said simply then laughed. "Fine, I'll give you reasons. One, when she's up and about in the town, the muggles, as you call them, won't have too many suspicions about her. Two, and the most important reason actually, Carlisle will soon realize that she is brilliant with her work," Percy snorted at the obvious, "and hence he will convince her to join his noble profession and she will love the idea! They will work together to combine muggle and magical medicines to treat ailments small and severe. In a decade or so, they are gonna be pioneers in the field actually. But to gain admission into a muggle medical college, she'll need a high school certificate, therefore.. our school."

 _What a brilliant idea!_ Carlisle mused, already writing his letter to Hermione in his mind.

"You're a seer!" Percy exclaimed, in a high-pitched voice, very non-Percy like while pointing a finger at the excited vampire.

"Duh," Alice shrugged. "Now, Jasper and I will go with Percy to UK and get Andromeda with us through a flight. But we'll let Hermione come here with Teddy using her magical modes or else the little one is going to cry up a storm in the plane, literally. His magic will go askew and the people on the plane will find out about them."

"Why can't Andromeda come with them?" Percy asked with a frown.

"On a portkey? Absolutely not. I won't have my cancer patient squeezing through a tube and travelling through space and time to get here quickly. I can spare her for a few more days," Carlisle immediately put his foot down.

"Oh and Percy, Hermione's gonna hate the house you choose so you might want to rethink the little red brick town house you will end up liking today," Alice warned.

Percy scowled. "I knew I shouldn't have volunteered for this," he muttered under his breath but every vampire in the room heard him and smirked.

"You wouldn't know what she'd like, would you?" he asked hopefully, looking at Alice.

"No. But I know which one she would have picked had you let her come here instead of volunteering yourself."

"Brilliant. I'll take that one. Here, this is her card. She gave this to me saying you all would know how to use it. Please use it to buy her house and any furniture you may deem necessary for the three of them. And please leave two large rooms vacant, she said she'll make her own library and potions lab."

"Will she really be able to afford a house that big on her card?" Bella asked askance.

"Well, she said so." Percy's frown then cleared. "Oh, you are wondering about the finances. Don't worry the card's linked to her Gringotts vault and she has more than enough gold there to buy this town several times over. She is a celebrated war hero after all, she has recently been awarded with a lot of money. I don't think a house, however big it may be, will make even a dent in her vault. Please take this," he handed the card to Esme who was closest to him.

"And you and your mate don't need to rush out with me. I'll send in a portkey in a couple of days for you. That'll be enough time to buy the house and set it, right?"

"You must be joking. You really think we can buy a house and set it in two short days?" Rosalie asked.

"No?" he questioned, a little disturbed. "Isn't Miss. Lovegood somewhere around here? Ask her, she'll help you. Only, don't ask her to choose anything and don't take her inputs on any of your purchases. Our Mione just might set you on fire if you do that. Besides that, she can help. You tell her where what goes and she'll sort it for you. I'll send someone else to help her. That person can get you back to the Burrow."

"Sounds good," Carlisle nodded after looking at his family for confirmation.

"Good then. I shall leave now. Have a job to keep," he said and left the Cullens behind, making his way to the clearing nearby to portkey out.

"He's an odd one but I've been told he grows on people," Carlisle shrugged. "Now.. what have I missed?"

The family all huddled together, updating one another on the what and whatnots of their life of the past four days.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 14:**

Two days later, Hermione popped into the Cullen household along with her extended family. Ginny, Ron, Harry, George, Neville and even Bill and Fleur had come in to help her set her new home. Only Molly had stayed behind. She had wanted to come but instead had offered to look after Teddy for the day, so the youngsters could have a nice day out.

Luna was already waiting for them at the Cullen house along with Jacob since Hermione had sent a patronus in advance to inform her about their arrival and asked her to convey the same to Esme, who Percy had informed them was going to do the property buying and decorating for her.

Bella had tried, albeit in vain, to get Edward out of the house before her arrival but he had refused to budge claiming that his mother-figure might need his help. The other Cullen kids thought the same, so everyone was at home.

"I can't thank you all enough for doing so much for us," Hermione smiled in gratitude as soon as she was within speaking range of the vampire family.

"Everyone," she turned to her companions, "meet the Cullens. This is Esme, Carlisle's wife and these are their adopted kids – Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Edward and that is Edward's girlfriend Bella. You of course know Luna and with her is her mate, Jacob Black."

Then she turned to her other side, "And these are my friends and family – Bill and his wife Fleur, George, Neville and Ginny. You of course know Harry and Ron."

After all the hellos were exchanged, Esme made a move towards the cars. "Shall we leave then?"

"In them?" George asked pointing at the numerous cars in their garage.

"Yes," Esme smiled.

"Oh, this will be fun!" George rubbed his hands together. "Lead the way ma'am."

Ginny grinned at her brother's exuberance and Hermione clapped a hand on her forehead, already regretting getting the big band along with her to help set her house. Something very close to a headache stabbing in rhythmic beats behind her eyes.

"Have they never been in a car before?" Edward asked her softly, gauging her pinched face and understanding her stress immediately, or so he thought.

"How I wish! But no, they have. Mr. Weasley, their father, bought a scrapped car long time back and in order to get it working, charmed and enchanted it _improving_ a few of its functions. In short the car did everything, including flying! George and Fred, his twin used to sneak off in it every night and once they even pulled Ron in and flew over to Harry's muggle neighborhood and broke him out of the bars that his guardians had placed around his room. Then Harry and Ron missed our school train that year and flew the same wretched car all over from London to Scotland, forgetting to turn it invisible and thereby getting sighted by many a muggles! As luck would have it, the car landed straight into a tree that hits back and since then has been running wild in the Forbidden Forest near our school. I'm pretty sure George is sitting in a car after all these years and will have way too many questions for whoever is unfortunate enough to be driving the car he is a passenger in."

"Not it," Emmett immediately called. Followed quickly by Jasper and Edward together.

"Mum then," they all said in unison and laughed, Hermione joining in.

As if on cue, George took the front seat in Esme's car with Bill and Fleur taking the seats behind them.

"You two are coming with us," Alice held both the witches by their wrists and pulled them towards her car with Jasper following behind the three.

"We'll take Harry, Ron and Neville in my Jeep," Emmett announced and did a jolly dig in his mind, knowing Edward was reading it. _You get stuck with the dog…_ he sang repeatedly in a loop for his brother to hear in his mind.

Bella however was happy with the arrangements and almost skipped to the silver Volvo.

…

As soon as they got to the new property, Hermione gasped in pleasure.

"It's perfect!" Ginny whispered eyeing the small cottage in front of them. It had a long, winding driveway. A separate shed that would probably house the cars, she guessed, remembering the set-up from the Cullen's house. The cottage looked cozy from the outside and was warm and homey on the inside. It stood alone in the smack-dab middle of nature, something she was Hermione would appreciate given the constant magic that was bound to happen around the place, what with a tiny metamorphamagus living there.

They entered into a big and airy room that spanned the entire length of the house, with a kitchen right at the back, beside which was a fleet of stairs leading to the first floor of the house. On the first floor were five bedrooms, three of which had ensuite baths and two shared a common one between them, right at the end of the hallway. There also was a ladder that had to be pulled down and when pulled it opened a rather nifty little doorway into a spacious attic.

"It's just perfect!" Hermione repeated Ginny's earlier sentiments taking it all in.

"Shall we begin then?" Esme asked, itching to get into her element and decorate the blank slate in front of her.

"Sure. First, let's take care of the security detail. Harry, Bill, could you two please do up the wards? I want everyone here to have undeterred access to the place, so please use blood wards for us and venom for the vampires. Please add the intention wards too, so anyone coming with harmful thoughts in mind is pushed out into the pacific before they gain entrance. Oh, and the regular muggle repellant charms, I don't need the heart ache of having foreign ministry putting me behind bars for Teddy's unintentional magic."

"On it," both men nodded. Bill stepped out immediately while Harry walked up to Esme. He pulled out a tiny glass vial from his inner jacket pocket and duplicated it several times over and handed all the vials to Esme. "Please take one and pass them out to the others of your family. We'll need your venom in this to grant you entrance into the house. Carlisle promised me he'll be here during his lunch hour, so we can take his venom then. Once the vial is full, cork it and leave with Luna," Jacob growled, barring his teeth, he was not going to stand for his imprint being anywhere near vampire venom. Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine. Leave them with Ginny and we'll take them all from her when we need them." Harry looked around to check if everyone had understood, when they all nodded, he walked out.

"Now, that that's out of the way, Ron," he looked up at Hermione, "I want you with Esme. Place whatever wherever she asks and duplicate whatever that needs to be duplicated.

Nodding, Ron found his way to Esme. "Ready then?" he smiled.

"Always," she pattered back and walked him towards the backyard where they had housed all the furniture boxes.

Ron was back in half a minute. "Mione!" he exclaimed.

"What, Ron?"

"The furniture.. it's all unmade! It's in boxes, as in slabs of wood put in boxes!" he yelled.

Hermione groaned. "Oh! I had forgotten muggles box their furniture that way. Uhm.." she turned towards the vampire men, do you think you could help your mum? Please?"

"Got it," the three ran towards the backyard.

"If you want you can go with them Bella. We have it all covered here," Hermione smiled at Bella who looked decidedly unease without Edward by her side.

"If you're sure," Bella gave her small smile and walked at a more sedate pace behind the vampires that had all but disappeared from their view.

"Okay, Neville, Ron I want you to put a new room beside the stairs for Andromeda. Make sure it has a functional bath and toilet in it. Use all the space from the stairs till the wall, if needed, expand it with charms.

"On it," both men spoke in unison and made their way beside the stairs at the far end of the house.

"I'm on Teddy's room," Ginny announced.

"May I help you?" Rosalie nervously offered.

"Yes! Please!" Ginny grinned and tugged her along. "You see, I have no idea about muggle furniture, much less a child's," everyone heard her say to Rosalie.

"Then why did you offer to do the boy's room?" Rosalie frowned.

"So he has no books in there! You see, Hermione is our resident book worm and I won't stand for our Teddy Bear to be turned into something that everyone pokes fun at in school." Just on the top stair, Ginny turned and winked at Hermione who scowled at her in return, before Rosalie and Ginny disappeared to the second largest bedroom on the floor.

"I know exactly how you want your room to be. So I can unpack your stuff and fill in the wardrobe there till the other furniture gets ready." At Hermione's doubtful expression, Alice put her cold hand on her warm one. "Trust me, please," she pleaded and finally Hermione relented.

"Alright, you do that. Fleur could you help her please."

"Oui, Ermione." Fleur smiled at Hermione first and Alice next.

"Thanks." With a wink Alice was gone to the largest bedroom, followed more sedately by Fleur.

"Luna and Jacob, can you do the kitchen please? Luna will set it and Jacob you could help her keep things safe for the muggle eyes?"

"Definitely!" Jacob grinned and pulled Luna along to the kitchen.

"What about me, Granger?" George asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet, waiting to get in some action.

"First, promise me you won't make me repent it." She glared at him while he made an absolutely innocent face. Hermione shook her head. "No George, Teddy's gonna be here and I can't risk his wellbeing."

"You're no fun anymore," George scowled but agreed.

"Good. I love the way you've done up the potion's lab at WWW, could you do up mine too? Just no pranks, please."

Understanding the gravity of the situation, he nodded solemnly. "Definitely not. You know we don't risk innocent lives at WWW," he said cheekily and made for the room Hermione had pointed to him – a part of the attic! She really wanted to keep all the hazardous stuff away from little hands and curious minds!

Seeing no one around, Hermione finally sighed and reached for her wand. With one swish she transfigured three long wooden filigreed partitions and placed two of them strategically on both sides of the door, to afford privacy to the household. The third she placed between the large hall, dividing the space into two for dinning and sitting. She then stuck the partitions in place with the strongest sticking spells she knew.

Now, when you looked around, you could not peep into the house from the doorway. The place near the fire was left vacant for the sitting room furniture and the space beyond the other partition for dinning. Then came the open kitchen where Jacob and Luna where working in harmony, engorging the small boxes and unpacking their ingredients. Hermione wasn't too bothered about where they were placing what, she would just summon whatever she needed and set her own stuff at her own pace later.

The right side of the ground floor though remained unnervingly empty. _What do I do here?_

"You should get two more of these lovely partitions and place them there," came Edward's voice from behind her. "The space next to Andromeda's room can be your godson's indoor play area for when the weather is bad outside.."

"Which just happens to be every day," coughed Emmett from behind Edward.

Glaring at him, Edward continued, "and this space here can be your TV room."

Hermione clapped a hand on her mouth. _She had completely forgotten about a telly!_

"Don't tell me you'd forgotten about television sets soldier," Jasper chuckled in amusement.

"I had," she whispered.

"How?" Emmett laughed.

"It's just been so long that I've actually used one, that I completely forgot about it." Hermione could swear she heard laughs from all the different rooms of the house. _Right! Advanced hearing! Need to bear that in mind,_ she made a mental note.

"Alright then," Hermione nodded, sheepishly avoiding eyes of the laughing people around her and conjured two more of the filigreed partitions, levitated them to the spot Edward had pointed out and stuck them down with permanent sticking charms.

"Woah! That was amazing!" Emmett's jaw dropped.

"Oh, but you've seen nothing yet," Hermione smirked and ran up the stairs.

"Dibs on being Hermione's pair," Emmett ran behind Hermione to see what else she would do while Jasper and Edward laughed at his antics and followed their mother out to set the furniture in.

By the time Carlisle's lunch hour rolled in, the house was almost set – the only exception being Hermione's library that she had refused to set with George working very close to where her library would be. She just knew she couldn't take that risk with her precious books.

"You know I will come visit, right?" George laughed as he finally made his way down.

"I know but.." Hermione pointed her wand at the ladder and the door and muttered strong locking spells on them. "You won't get in there," she winked.

"It has a window, Granger," George rolled his eyes. "And I have a broom."

"Thanks for pointing that out. I'll remedy it next time I go up," she grinned and they both walked downstairs.

Hermione stood in the middle of the stairs and smiled happily. The house looked truly beautiful. The furniture was all dark wood with light cushioning seats. Standing there, with a wave of her wand she turned the walls there to creams that went well with the furniture.

Ginny whipped out her wand and added multiple cushions on every spot she liked and Luna turned all the cushions to bright and whimsically printed ones.

Hermione grinned. "I like it."

"Can I hear a hallelujah!" Harry walked back into the house. "Gin, the vials please, love," he held his hand out to her, palm facing up.

Smiling shyly she handed him the vials and he walked back out to finish with the access through the wards.

"Everyone needs to step out now," Bill's voice came in from outside.

Everyone filed out. "I don't think our blood will appeal to you, but nonetheless, if you want you can hold your breath, we'll be working on the blood wards now," Bill warned the vampires.

Neville and Hermione smiled at the Cullen clan and pulled out their wands. "She'll erase the scent from the air I'll put up a shield if required," Neville said.

One by one, the witches then the wizards, followed by Jacob dropped a few drops of their blood where Harry asked them to while Bill kept chanting something under his breath.

"Any problems so far?" Hermione asked the vampires and they all shook their heads. "Told you we don't appeal to them that way," Hermione smirked smugly and walked towards Bill with Neville behind her. Luna and Ginny took their place, pulling on their wands with Jacob shielding Luna with his body.

"He is almost like a Veela!" Ginny winked at one of her best friends.

"He is. They even mark us during the first time we mate, just like the veelas. Only I can't show you his bite, Jacob's marked me in a particularly intimate place, just above my heart, you see," Luna informed in her dreamy voice, making both Jacob and Ginny go red in the face and stare at the floor. Then she rubbed Jacob's back caringly, "There's no need to be embarrassed, Jacob. All magical creatures do that. It's a way to ward off your territory, kind of like how dogs pee on their property, so their scent can keep other dogs away. All magical creatures do the same so no one else approaches their mate."

"Luna.." Ginny said warningly, before she could embarrass everyone further but her warning fell on deaf ears.

"Did you know, the biting serves the additional purpose of preparing the mate's body for complete claim through the sexual act? By introducing the little venom into the bloodstream of their mates, the magical creatures ensure that their mates survive mating and pregnancy whenever it may occur and however rough it may be. It works especially when the two are from different species." Luna smilingly informed them all.

"Wait. Back-track. Are you telling me two different species can have sex? .. I mean mate?" Bella asked furrowing her brows.

"Of course they can! Look at Jacob and I. He is a natural shape-shifter and I am a witch. Also, all the other imprints are humans and they still survived the mating," Luna smiled. "Only, the partners have to be true mates. The magical creature only ever feels like marking his mate, no one else. And it is only their mate that can survive their venom, no one else."

"So, if Edward bites me, I won't turn into a vampire then? And we can have sex?" Bella asked this uncaring of the said vampire's family's presence all around her.

"You can have sex even now, his bite has nothing to do with it. But like I said, the bite is a marking and only works on true mates, ask his siblings if you want; they must have all marked their spouses. If Edward bites you, you'll either turn or die, depending on how much of his venom he pumps into you or how much of your blood he sucks out."

"But you said yourself, it's different for mates."

"It is." Luna nodded, confusing Bella further.

"Are we done here? Can we go back in and check out the place?" Jacob asked, breaking the tension around.

"Yes, we are all done here. Now, one by one, everyone try going in. The muggle girl," Bill said looking at Bella in a friendly manner, "You need to hold someone's hand to get through or the wards will not allow you in."

"Won't the other _muggles_ know there's something uncanny here when they are pushed out?" she asked in exasperation.

"No, they'll only remember something very urgent and turn around to go back the way they've come. It's only when someone comes with the intention of harming our Mione, Teddy or Andromeda that they'll find themselves in the middle of the pacific ocean without a boat or buoy in sight."

"Oh!" Bella flushed in embarrassment and reached out to grab Edward's hand.

One by one, they all entered and appreciated the new set-up of the house.

"You're really doing this then? Moving across the pond, leaving us behind to start a new life?"

Hermione looked on helplessly at Ron. He shook his head in exasperation. "I need some tea," he said and walked straight to the kitchen without a backward glance.

"Don't mind him, Mione. He is just not used to staying away from you," Ginny rubbed her back soothingly.

"He'll come around Mione. You know you two have always been like this, fighting one moment then friends the next." Harry smiled weakly at Hermione. "I'll go check on him."

"No, Harry. It's time he got it out of his system. I'll speak to him," Hermione said and walked towards the kitchen.

"Way to warm a house," grinned George. "May be we should go and grab some food till they speak."

"They won't kill each other, right?" Ginny asked.

"Not today. The wrackspurts around their head will make them reconsider their hasty tendencies," Luna answered helpfully.

"That's bollocks Mione!" they heard from the kitchen before the conversation went silent.

"At least one of them remembers the charms. Can't be that bad then," Bill offered half-heartedly.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

In the kitchen, Ron was losing it completely. "You keep pushing me away! Why did you kiss me then, if you didn't feel anything?"

"I did, Ron, I did. I've loved you for the longest time; but I've told we can't be together."

"Why? Just because Dolohov cursed you well? Are you going to let him win, then?"

"Ron! I will not ruin your life! If not today, then tomorrow, but you will want kids! You're a Weasley, you are meant to have a brood of your own. I can't give that to you and I will not be able to take yours or your family's hatred when I fail to conceive so.."

"You are just assuming all of this, Mione. I've never.."

"You've never what, Ronald? You've never thought of kids? Of having a big family of your own? Ron, it'll hurt us now, it'll sting bad; but if we don't do this, it will fester our relationship in the end. You are one of my best friends, I don't want to lose you."

"So, for fear of losing me then, you are giving up on me now? _That_ makes sense to you?"

"We are young Ron, you will find a nice witch and marry her and I will stand behind you when the minister pronounces you man and wife and then we'll dance at your wedding and laugh about this debacle because you'll understand then why I am doing this now."

"Mione," Ron stepped close to her, right in her personal space, and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "Sweetheart, give me a chance and I'll make sure you'll stand beside me when the minister pronounces us…"

"No.." Hermione shook her head, bringing her hand on Ron's chest and pushing him slightly away. "Ron.. no.. I can't.. please.."

Ron looked at her and huffed in anger. _What did she have to be so damn daft?!_ "So.. Now that you have everything sorted and tied up with a neat little bow, I don't think I'm needed here anymore. Good bye." With a loud crack that grated on her entire being, Ron was gone.

Hermione stood in the kitchen and wiped furiously at the tears that refused to let up. _Why can't I stop?_ she chided herself, sniffling and dabbing her eyes.

While she had silenced her conversation, there was someone out there who felt everything that transpired in the kitchen. He didn't know why they fought but he felt her grief and despair hitting him in waves. He signaled to his wife and they both walked sedately to the kitchen, keeping away from prying eyes, though Jasper just knew Edward was reading their minds and following every step of theirs with his eyes till the disappeared from the view.

Alice immediately held Hermione's shuddering form in her cold arms and patted her back while Jasper stood near the door and sent her calming waves. A few short minutes later, Edward was by his side. He felt his dead heart twist at the sight that greeted him but he said nothing. He nodded at Alice and entered the kitchen, quietly assembling the tea for everyone.

When Hermione finally had her emotions under control, she wiped her eyes and washed her face in the sink. She was just charming the tear stains off her face when Harry walked behind her and rubbed her back. "It'll all be fine, give it time," he whispered soothingly.

Hermione nodded while Harry smiled at the three vampires around the kitchen. _At least she had good friends here._ He'd feel that much better about her living so far away with friends like them around. Harry showed them his gratitude in his smile and eyes and the vampires just nodded in return, a silent pact made between them.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 15:**

She had moved.

She had finally gone ahead and done it.

The house was set. Molly had packed her enough food to last through the first month, putting stasis charms on them so they'd keep that long. Then, she had kissed her best friends and her pseudo-family goodbye and portkeyed it out with a sleeping Teddy in her arms.

"Just you and me, boy," Hermione smiled at the slumbering baby and entered her new home.

"TADA!" warbled Alice's musical voice. "Welcome.. oh crap!"

"PROTEGO MAXIMUS!" Hermione screamed, shielding Teddy with her upper body as the sheen of bluish hue went up between her and the vampires, her wand clutched tightly in her hand.

"I warned you about scaring a soldier!" Jasper whispered, knowing his mate would hear him despite his quiet voice.

"Hermione, it's just us," Alice tried to calm her.

"Shit Alice!" Hermione swore, "Don't you ever do that to me again. I've just faced war not six months back and I've been fighting for my life for the past seven years! My adrenalin rush might just be responsible for setting your sparkly ass on fire!"

Alice laughed. "You'd never harm me. Rosalie and I are going to be your two other girlfriends and we're gonna be closer to you than the mutt's girl and Ginny."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Have I ever told you that I hate divination and every other such hokum related to it?"

"How is he still sleeping?" Rosalie asked cutting their banter, her eyes trained solely on the baby in Hermione's arms, since the minute she'd walked in through the door.

"I put a mild sleeping charm on him when I left England. I didn't want him panicking during portkeying," Hermione smiled looking down at the baby. "Well, now that he is sleeping, everyone please take a good look at him, this is his natural face. He tends to change it when he's up and about. So, if any of you ever decides to take him out in public with muggles around, make sure he has a hat on because he loves to turn his hair blue and if he is trying to please you, he _will_ turn his features to match yours, don't let his sweet face fool you."

"He can change his features?" Jasper asked impressed.

"You'll let us take him out?" Rosalie asked in shock.

"Yes, and yes, why not? You guys are a part of my family now, if you want to, you can take him out to the parks and stuff. Though I must warn you that you'll need to be careful in front of muggles," Hermione shrugged.

"Have you thought of what you'll do with him when you're out at school?" Rosalie asked, steering the conversation in the direction she wanted to, knowing she had to do it now or she'd lose her nerves.

Hermione scrunched her nose. "That's actually something I wanted to discuss with you all. Do I have to attend this school? If I'm given the texts, I can just study it all at home and give my exams privately. I'm doing that for my NEWTs anyway."

"What are NEWTs?" Emmett asked.

"Nearly Exhausting Wizarding Tests. We graduate after giving those in our seventh year. Since I missed mine because of the war, I'm giving them privately at the end of the year, just before Christmas. Can I not do something similar with the muggle exams too?"

"You could," Carlisle agreed, "but it will be better if you attend Forks High. The more people see you around, the lesser they will suspect anything. It's best to mingle in."

"I don't particularly mix well," Hermione pouted. "I'm terrible at making new friends and everyone usually hates me in school."

Everyone chuckled. "Plus, I've heard some pretty nasty things about high schools and their students," Hermione mock shivered, shaking Teddy with her.

"Nonsense! I want my best friend with me in the final year of my school," Alice pouted.

"I thought Bella was your best friend," Esme teased her.

"I thought I was your best friend," Jasper frowned at her.

Hermione shook her head, "You're quite like Ginny, you know. Full of theatrics. But I have to think of Teddy too and I'm really not comfortable just leaving him at a day care with muggle kids."

Rosalie bit her lower lip and prepared herself. _It's now or never._ "If it's only about Teddy, I can watch him for you while you're at school or busy elsewhere. In one of our older schools I've even done pediatrics and Esme can help me cook him healthy meals and I never get exhausted, I don't need rest and I.."

"Rosalie, Rosalie.. Stop. Breathe. Now tell me, do you really mean it? It's a big commitment and I would completely understand if you…"

"No, no. I absolutely mean it. There's no place else I'd rather be."

"What about your school then?"

"Just passed out last year."

"Great! You're it! Thank you so much," Hermione moved around a little and hugged Rosalie tightly, uncaring of her freezing body. "You don't know how much you've done for me."

"No," Rosalie shook her head, "you don't know how much you're doing for me by allowing me to be a part of Teddy's life."

"You were gonna be an important part of his life anyway. But now, thanks to you, I can actually concentrate in school knowing you're there with him. I know you will protect him and care for him and that's all any mother asks for anyway."

"You don't mind that I'm a.."

"Absolutely not. And I wouldn't even have cared if you were a red eyed one. Our blood doesn't appeal to you and I can hardly point fingers at you guys when even we kill to feed ourselves, don't we? People just forget about the lives they take and begrudge others their lifestyles. I am not one of those, neither is anyone else from my family. You all will always receive the respect that's due to you, along with our gratitude for helping us with everything."

Rosalie smiled. A true, genuinely happy smile and Emmett stood beside her looking gob smacked. He had never seen her that happy in all the long years they'd been together. If Hermione could make his Rose happy, he'd protect her and her godson with everything he had in him. He'd do anything to keep Rosalie smiling like that. Anything.

That night when everyone left to let Hermione catch up on some sleep with Rosalie promising to swing by early the next day to meet the little boy, Emmett hung behind, moving out last out of the house and he hugged Hermione tightly, kissed both her cheeks and thanked her with all his heart.

Smiling, Hermione shut the door behind her and walked up to Teddy's room, laid him down on the bed and pecked his forehead, telling him how much he was loved by their new family already.

…

Meanwhile, to ensure Edward stayed away from the brunette witch that was moving in that evening, Bella had planned a double date for them – with her best friend Jacob and his imprint Luna. Much to both the boys' annoyance.

"Do we have to do this?" Edward groaned even as he stepped out of his car after parking it at an empty spot neat the town's diner.

"Yes! He is my best friend and you need to play nice with him," Bella admonished and pulled him along with her into the crowded space.

Jacob and Luna weren't particularly difficult to spot, though, what with her silver hair and neon orange dress!

 _Should have got my glares_ , Edward murmured to himself. Bella moved around him and slid onto the bench, pushing inside while Edward sat on the outside across Jacob who had Luna sitting on the inner side of their bench, the table between the two couples.

"Luna," Edward smiled in greeting. "Mutt," he nodded at Jacob.

"Leech," Jacob deadpanned.

"Bella," Luna smiled, probably the only one who actually thought the evening could be enjoyable.

Everyone gathered there had an agenda except her. Jacob wanted to prove to Luna that he was over Bella, not that she ever asked him anything about it. Edward wanted Bella to stop pestering him about everything. Bella wanted information. Something she had come to realize the witch sitting in front of her had in spades.

During dinner, Jacob downed all of his food and when Edward discreetly pushed his plate towards him, he smirked and downed it's contents too. The girls cut up their food daintily and ate as slowly as they could for some reason. Edward amused himself with everyone's thoughts. Especially the couple in front of him.

Luna kept looking around thoughtfully every now and then and wondered in her head if one magical creature or another was flitting by while Jacob first thought of devouring his food and when he realized his nemesis was in his head, he thought of all the things he planned on doing to his beautiful imprint once they were locked up in his truck.

If he could have, Edward would have turned red at the graphic details he saw in Jacob's head before he could pull himself out of it, scowling.

Once done, Bella tugged Luna along for a quick trip to the fresh room. When they were in, she turned to her and smiled coyly. "So, uhm.. I wanted to ask you a few things, actually, but I don't want to be overheard. Could you.. do you think you could take care of that?"

"Sure," Luna smiled and pulled her wand out of her clutch and placed privacy and silencing charms on the washroom. "Tell me, Bella, what is it?"

"Uhm.. I just wanted to know what you were saying the other day, when we were at Hermione's place.."

"About mating?" Luna asked, smiling pleasantly. She had been wondering why they had been asked for a double date, now she knew!

"Yes. What did you mean when you said that the bite works only for mates and that Edward and I could have sex but…?" she trailed off at Luna's knowing smile.

"I meant what I said, Bella. There are many vampires that take humans to bed. They might end up injuring them quite bad, what with their obvious superior strength and no requirement of sleep or respite, so they tend to tire out or sometimes even hurt their human partners, but a vampire and a human getting together isn't as uncommon an occurrence as you would believe. Though I must warn you, most vampires are only out playing with their food before they eat it. They'll toy with you first and drain you dry once they are done." Bella dry swallowed her fear. "Hey, don't worry. Edward won't drink you dry. He is a _vegetarian_ remember?" Luna said, placing her cool pale hand over Bella's warm one.

Bella dry swallowed for a whole new reason.

"So, uhm.. what about the marking then?"

"That happens only with soulmates. Like Jacob and I for example. It's pretty much binding. While I'm not sure how it works for muggles, with us wizarding folks, it's as good as a marital binding. Once marked, a witch or a wizard can't be pregnant with or impregnate, as the case be, anyone else. It's just the mated pair for each other from then on. They live together, for each other and die together, with each other. One can't survive without the other for too long, after being marked."

"Once a magical creature _recognises_ _and_ _accepts_ his or her mate, their life only revolves around them. They show their care through all their gestures, big and small. They have eyes only for their mate and feel an incessant need to touch and feel their mate every few minutes, it calms them and keeps their protective instincts at bay. They can not stop themselves from loving their mate, even if their relationship has a rocky start. It's actually quite like every romance filled muggle moving pictures Jacob's made me sit through," Luna giggled.

"In fact, the magical creatures get so helpless and downright suicidal without their mates that the Magical Ministries all world over have specific laws to ensure that they keep their mates. Not that I wanted to, but even if I did feel like rejecting the bond with Jacob, my ministry and his, would've ensured that I could do nothing of that sort and stayed with him."

"The magical creatures are also blessed that way, that they instinctively know what their mates want and need, so wooing their mates is never really a task for them," Luna gave an uncharacteristic smirk at that, as if smiling on a joke only she was in on.

"That actually quite matches what I feel for Edward, right down to me getting suicidal for him," Bella said happily.

But Luna shook her head. "Bella, if you were his true mate, he would never have had the will to leave you and go away. It just doesn't work that way. He literally would have needed you in touching distance to function. The magical creatures are nothing by themselves, once they accept their mate."

This time Bella shook her head. "You are mistaken. I am his mate, I know it. He left me for my protection and that is his instinct, protecting his mate, you said so yourself."

"Bella," Luna rubbed her hands tenderly, "when he finally accepts his mate, his sole focus is going to be turning her. He will not be able to picture eternity without her by his side and he will do his damnedest best to convince _her to turn for him_. That's how their protective instincts work. They only want to keep their mates with them, throughout. If it _was_ you, you wouldn't have had to wait for so long to turn, he would've have ensured it even before the thought crossed your mind. But your case is quite the opposite, isn't it? He is still opposed to your turning, is he not? With his mate, he won't be able to do that, he'll go down on his knees if he has to but he'll ensure she changes for him."

"No," Bella shook her head. "He won't have to. I'll turn for him anyway, he doesn't need to beg me to do it. You'll see.. it is me who stands by his side all through eternity. You'll see.."


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 16:**

Andromeda had reached Forks safely, all thanks to Alice and Jasper who had used the portkey given to them by Hermione the day after she moved and flown back with her to England.

Carlisle had quickly had her admitted and tested and her first set of chemo sessions were to start the following week, though Carlisle had insisted on having her closely monitored and kept her admitted at the hospital.

A hop, skip and a jump later, the day of Hermione's first day at her new muggle school had dawned. She had shadowed Rosalie the past few days, and knew that she was now capable to care for Teddy. Teddy in turn had taken an immediate liking to all the vampires and even Bella, in general and Rosalie, Emmett and Esme in particular, lessening Hermione's guilt of abandoning him for the long hours of the school she did not want to attend in the first place!

On Monday morning, she bathed and dressed and then cleaned, changed, fed Teddy too. Her school was at eight and she wanted to have enough time to find her classes since it was her first day. So she had asked Rose if she could drop Teddy at half past seven and Rose had happily agreed.

So at two minutes to half past, Hermione gathered Teddy's bag that she'd packed the night before and held the babe securely in her arms and twisted on the spot after checking her safety wards one last time and popped at the Cullen's house.

Rose was pacing the porch and looked up at the sound of the soft crack near the house. In a flash, she was beside Hermione, picking Teddy up and whispering soothingly to him to quieten his disgruntled wails at side-long apparition.

Before she could smile at the loving way in which Rosalie held Teddy, Alice was by Hermione's side. "Come on, Hermione, get into the Volvo. We'll all leave now, pick Bella up and then go to school."

"I'm sorry," Hermione looked on confusedly at the pixie vampire.

"How are you planning on going to school, Mione?" Alice spelled out like speaking to a little child.

"I'll apparate?" Hermione questioned. "Saves a lot time, you know."

"And raise a thousand questions about yourself?" Alice quirked a perfect brow in rebuke.

"And you don't have to worry about saving time when I'm driving," Edward smirked from beside his car. "Hop in, let's leave."

Walking up to Teddy, Hermione kissed his forehead. "Be good, love," she whispered to the small baby and then looked at Rosalie. "Rose, anything, absolutely anything you want, need or just have doubts about, call me. I'll be here even before you place your phone down, I promise."

"Come on, now. Rose is brilliant with kids, you've seen it already," Alice pulled Hermione to the car and almost pushed her in and shut the door before moving to the other side and getting in herself, Jasper following her in. Edward took his seat at the steering wheel, the seat beside him left vacant for Bella.

Hermione kept looking out the window until the house was left far behind, feeling like a piece of her heart was left back there. _So this is how mothers feel,_ she smiled to herself.

"What are you smiling about?" Edward asked, looking at her from the rear-view mirror.

"Just.. it's a good thing my parents were strong. I can barely leave Teddy behind for a few hours. Even now, I just want to turn tail and run back to him. I don't know how my parents managed to let me go into a world they had no idea about and then supported me all through it. I would've probably burned the letter and asked Teddy to stay put. I just don't want him to grow up. I keep wishing he forever stays my little boy. I don't know how mothers have been doing this for so long, it's near impossible."

They pulled up at Bella's house by the time Hermione finished and Bella hopped into her regular seat, turning in her seat to drop a quick kiss on Edward's lips and a greeting for the passengers behind.

"Speaking of which, have you brought your parents back yet?" Alice asked after Bella was settled and Edward had resumed driving.

"No," Hermione shook her head sadly. "There are still some rogue death eaters around, so I haven't lifted their spell yet. Once everything settles.."

"Oh, Hermione," Bella turned in her seat, "I am sorry," she whispered, squeezing her hand in support.

Hermione gave her a small smile in return. "Thank you," she whispered, knowing the air between them had finally started to clear as she squeezed Bella's hand right back.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Once Edward had parked his car, Hermione gave herself a pep talk before getting down and then seeing everyone staring at her, she almost turned around to get back in the car and banged right into Edward who'd gotten off from the car, too.

"You can do this, Hermione," he laid his arm around her shoulder and rubbed her back in a gesture of comfort but when it started to prickle, he wasn't so sure if he was doing it for her benefit or his own. Hermione turned her face up to look at Edward, a sudden tingle that had nothing to do with Edward's body temperature but everything to do with his touch, spread through her body, starting at her shoulders and moving along in sync with his light rubbing of her back.

They watched each other, the taller one with narrowed eyes, the shorter one with eyes big and wide, both trying to figure out the what and why of their reactions.

Before they could find any answers though, Alice came up behind Hermione and laid her hand on her arm. "We'll all be with you, don't worry. You're starting out with a nice group of friends right on day one," she smiled encouragingly at the witch and then glared at her brother when the witch had turned away from him. "What the fuck Edward?" she growled in her mind and his quick grimace was evidence that he'd heard it.

"You've been through worse remember?" Jasper clasped Hermione's hand and pulled her out of the tiny space between the two parked cars where the entire debacle was unfolding, thankfully shielded from prying eyes. "Thank your lucky stars the episode was hidden from everyone's view. You better make up your mind, Eddie or you'll end up hurting one or both these girls," he whispered softly and quickly enough for only the other two vampires to hear.

"I'll go with Hermione to get her schedule. We'll see you when we see you," the pixie vampire said chirpily and left the trio, hooking her arms with Hermione's and dragging her along.

"You know, you should consider calling me Mione, with the number of times you call my name, I think it's time we shorten it a bit for convenience."

Alice flashed Hermione a big, bright smile, "Mione it is then."

Meanwhile Bella quickly moved beside Edward but sensed the sudden tension between his brother and him and wisely kept away. Honestly enough, she liked Hermione just fine. The fact that she could yield a wand was interesting to say the least, but there were times, like now, when doubts set in and she ended up taking her frustration out on the only other female that Edward spoke to apart from her, who wasn't his family. She didn't know what had conspired between the two adopted siblings but she felt it had something to do with the witch and that set her teeth on edge, though she walked beside them quietly enough till her locker.

Both the brothers were however so lost in glaring and avoiding eyes, as the case may be, that neither realized the human wasn't walking with them anymore. No matter, she'd see them in the shared classes she thought and started shuffling the books around in her locker.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Oh, this is great! You'll have at least one of us in all your classes except Advanced Physics. You've got English Literature with Bella, Latin with Edward, Biology with them both, Art with Jasper and me, Math with Edward and me , Chemistry with Jasper and we've all got Gym together. This is gonna be so much fun Mione."

"I'm sure it will be," Hermione refrained from rolling her eyes at Alice's exuberance and eyed her timetable that was clutched tightly in her hands. "To English Lit, then!" she said and walked with Alice till her first class.

Bella smiled at Alice and her and indicated the seat next to hers for Hermione to take and unsure of what to do, Hermione sat down beside her. Her first class in a muggle school went well enough, Hermione smiled to herself at the end of it.

"So, you're really smart, aren't you?" Bella smiled at her.

"A little," Hermione blushed, getting uncomfortable with the praise. "It's just Othello. I'm sure everyone's read it a dozen times already."

Bella shook her head, "I highly doubt it."

"So, could you please guide me to my next class? I've got Math now."

Following the directions Bella had given, Hermione found her next class without any event and happily took the empty seat beside Alice. It was only when Edward walked in that she realized she must have broken in on their seating pattern. She quickly got up to leave but Edward shook his head and took the seat behind them. "I'll keep, you stay where you are," he said while passing her.

When the entire class worked on the problem their teacher had put up on the board, Hermione rubbed her head repeatedly then nibbled at the back of her pencil, wincing immediately at its bitter taste. How she missed her sugar quills! She then started tapping the back of her pencil on her book, waiting for everyone to finish their work.

"You know, even with _my_ speed, I'm still working on this and you're done and bored already," Alice smirked, still looking down at her book and they heard a soft chuckle from behind them.

"That's because you, unlike me, aren't using _all_ of your strengths," Hermione deadpanned, making Edward and Alice both cough to cover up their laughter.

Next was Art and Hermione walked with Alice after bidding a quick goodbye to Edward. Art was the most enjoyable for Hermione by far. It was the only place she felt that she was doing anything new and different at all. Their Art teacher had made them pick one colour and then dull and darken it with white and black, respectively, and then colour the entire page with its hues and associate an emotion with the colour and a feeling with every shade.

Hermione found this activity quite enjoyable and immersed herself in her art, happy in her decision to let the couple sit together, she would not be making the same mistake of breaking their partnerships like she had in Math. So, the minute she had stepped in, she'd taken the seat behind Jasper and bullied Alice into taking the seat beside him, something which Alice had happily done.

And now Hermione was happy about it, since she had the entire desk to herself while she painted. She had chosen blue as her primary colour and the emotion she associated with it was tranquility. With the palest of sky blues, she had associated joy – for the heralding of a new day, but the major part of her page was her favorite color, the deepest shade of midnight blue – for the peace and calm of every night. Happy with her job, she had left the Art class with an unintended skip in her step and followed Jasper and Alice to the cafeteria for their break.

"Let's grab our lunches and then we can go sit," Alice said and Hermione smirked, a twinkle in her eyes. It was the first time she'd be seeing the vampires playing with their food after all.

"What are you so happy about?" Edward asked from behind her, Bella by his side.

"Just had a very good class."

"Art?"

"Yes. I forgotten how good it felt to just.. let your emotions flow through and not keep everything bottled up. I'm pretty sure it's gonna be my favorite subject here. We didn't have anything like that at Hogwarts." Her bright smile had Edward completely mesmerized.

 _If only I'd known she'd be so happy with Art, I would've taken it up just to look at her._ Just then though, Alice turned, swearing colourfully in her head at Edward and dropped a big Lindt 70% dark chocolate bar with a twist of orange onto Hermione's tray.

"A treat for you since you're having such a great first day," Alice smiled, eyes still warning Edward, flashing from Bella to Hermione to him.

Hermione froze at the sight of the chocolate and walked sedately over to the table she was led, with just a salad and a chocolate bar on her tray.

"That's way too many emotions for a simple bar of chocolate," Jasper frowned at Hermione. He was soon realizing that the little witch was quite expressive and wore her heart on her sleeve, living her life with a lot of passion. A simple school day with her was turning into a joy ride on an Emotional Express for him.

"I've.." she blushed embarrassed.

"What?" Bella asked intrigued. "Naughty memories?" she quirked her eyebrow.

"NO!" Hermione flushed scarlet. "Absolutely _not_ that! It's just that.." she looked around to make sure no was close enough to listen on. She did not want to raise suspicions by casting a silencing charm around them, even though she could do it wandless and non-verbally, she was sure simply seeing their lips move while no sound emitted from them would raise hackles of all the teenagers around them. She continued after making sure no one could hear her when she said this, "I've never eaten muggle chocolate," she confessed, colour staining high on her cheeks.

"What!" she heard cried from all the four occupants of the table, loud enough to draw everyone's attention.

 _So much for not wanting to be heard!_ "My parents are dentists. I wasn't allowed sweets growing up. I tasted my first sweet in the train to Hogwarts and as you can imagine the candies were all from the _other_ _place_ , so…" she shrugged her shoulders.

"Are those different in any way?" Bella asked curiously.

"Way too much. We have Bertie Botts every flavor beans that really do come in every flavor – earwax, earthworm, dirt, rotten eggs and such along with strawberry ice-cream, melons, marshmallows. They mean _every flavor_ when they advertise it. Then there's chocolate frog.."

"Not really frogs, are they?" Jasper asked disgusted.

"No, just chocolate that looks like frogs and is charmed to leap similarly. Ron collects the cards that come with them, needless to say I've had my fair share of those to help him collect all those damned cards."

"Then there's liquorish wands, acid pops and my favorite – sugar quills. I'm so used to them I've been nibbling my pens and pencils since the morning!" Hermione chuckled, "But this.. it's my first."

"Wow! I had never thought I'd meet someone who never had Lindt!"

"Go on, try it."

Hermione nodded and opened up the chocolate, first offering to share with Bella. Bella broke off a piece and then Hermione bit into the chocolate. She rolled her tongue around it for truly tasting it and then closed her eyes and moaned, her neck arching back involuntarily. "Oh.. this is so good.." she whispered and then opened her eyes, slowly rolling her tongue over her chocolate coated lips.

Never in his entire vampire life had Edward ever wanted to try some human food so bad. He wanted to just pin Hermione down and lick the chocolate off those sinful lips and then taste its flavor in her mouth. He groaned in his mind and then turned in his seat to snarl at the other occupants of the cafeteria, whose equally dirty thoughts about his mate were bombarding his mind. Jasper stopped him just in the nick of time by placing a hand discreetly on his shoulder and Edward blinked in confusion. Had he just thought of Hermione as his mate?!

"You're creating a scene again!" Jasper screamed in his mind.

"You're girlfriend's right here!" Alice growled in his head.

Just then the bell rang. Hermione had polished off the chocolate, it being a complete novelty for her and ignored the salad she'd bought. "Can someone just point me to the Advanced Physics class?" she asked after she'd thoroughly licked her fingers and lips, too.

 _Brilliant! First the show, now she has a class by herself!_ Edward was ready to murder someone as he escorted Bella to her class and earned a hard kick on his shin from Jasper when no one was looking their way. Edward's only solace was that not many were smart enough to take up that class with her. At least Mike Newton and the likes wouldn't be there to hit on her!

Her day after the break was decent-ish. The only noteworthy time was their gym class where Bella and Hermione had giggled seeing the three vampires downplay their very nature.

Hermione was sure if this was before her year of run, she would have either failed the class or passed it barely, almost like her flying class back in the first year. But, she now could do almost any obstacle, jumping, running course thrown her way, thanks to all the times she had to run for her life. So the gym class now felt almost like a stress-reliever to her.

Having Bella fall constantly just added to her exercise as she tried to catch her before her head hit the ground. Alice was right beside the two girls doing the same and Hermione almost felt an affinity with the two vastly different girls.

And now, the day was over and they were going back to the Cullen home. Hermione had never been happier to see the last of a school before.

"I've missed Teddy like a real physical ache, I just need to hug him, like right now," Hermione breathed out shortly and Edward took that as an encouragement enough and flew through the town and brought her to Teddy within three minutes flat.

Bella stumbled out of the car and almost brought her lunch out, heaving drily and scolding Edward for good measure. "Don't you ever do that again."

Edward nodded solemnly, not wanting to sicken his friend, while Hermione flew out the car right as he stopped and into their house. She was happily peppering the little boy with kisses by the time the three vampires and the human made their way to the house.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 17:**

Hermione's second day of school started with Chemistry, then she had Biology followed by Physics just before the break, after which she had Latin and then Literature. She was pretty sure Tuesday was going to be the most stressful day of the entire week, what with all her heavy subjects rolling in one after the other.

Despite the sciences that she had all through the morning, it was Latin that she feared the most. That was her only class with Edward alone; and while she had spent one-on-one time with every other Cullen, Edward was the only one she had never really spoken to and after the tiny _incident_ of last morning, she wasn't sure of how she felt about spending time alone with him now. The whole thing had somehow felt too intimate to her and she was well aware of there being no love lost between his girlfriend and herself, she had, after all, just yesterday spoken to her without any form of hostility. All that was beside the point though, for however she felt about Bella and Edward, she wasn't a homewrecker and she wouldn't do anything that might cause a rift between any couple.

Decision made and a rough plan vaguely formed in her mind about how to tackle the day's seating, she popped in at the Cullen residence again. Handing Teddy over to Rosalie and kissing him on his forehead, she climbed in the backseat of the Volvo.

Once at school, Jasper walked with her to their class and they sat together, both lost in their chats until the teacher came in and started teaching. Hermione's innate perfect student would never allow her to talk during a class.

After Chemistry, Jasper dropped her at Biology and made way towards his own Social Studies class that he shared with Alice. Hermione walked in the lab smiling and looked around at the occupied seats. She saw Edward near the window looking right back at her. She gave him a friendly smile but made her way to the opposite row of benches and took up the first bench there. Bella soon walked in with a few others, and made a bee-line for Edward's desk while the other students dispersed all around the class.

Angela, the same bespectacled girl that sat with her in Physics smiled at her and took the spot beside Hermione. Hermione smiled back in greeting too and the teacher got in, cutting their talk even before it had begun!

Soon after the end of the class bell rung and Hermione walked to her Physics class with Angela. _Having the same partner for two subjects might work,_ she thought shrugging as she answered all of Angela's curious questions with as few lies as she could.

"So, are you a new adoptee of the Cullens?" Angela asked with a slight grimace, wondering if assuaging her and her friends' curiosity with such a personal question on the first time she spoke to Hermione was a good idea or not.

"Oh, no. No, I am not. They are sort of like family friends though," Hermione answered. She knew she was absolute bollocks at lying so she rarely ever tried her hand at it.

"Oh.." Angela really wanted to probe more, more so because Jessica had goaded her into it but she didn't know how to continue.

Hermione, however, saw her fumbling and smiled, she had been through similar times after all. "Dr. Cullen's helping us with my aunt who's suffering from Cancer. I came along to help her with her grandson who also is my godson. Dr. Cullen has also gotten me interested in the medical field so I thought I'd finish my last year here and then move on to a medical college."

"Oh, so where's your godson now?"

"Do you know Rosalie Cullen?" Angela nodded. "She has volunteered to babysit him while I'm at school."

"Oh, that's sweet of her."

"It is," Hermione smiled fondly and they entered their class, taking their seats from the day before.

"You're lucky you haven't been swamped by all the curious kids yet." Hermione quirked her brow. "You're the only girl to ever mingle with the elusive Cullens. Well, there's Bella, of course, but even she took a few months and dating one of them to make her way into their folds, you on the other hand, entered the school on their arm right on your first day at Forks High. It's caused quite a stir."

"I know," Hermione conceded. "Just between you and me, I'm even followed into the washroom and have had strangers coming at me in the corridor all day yesterday asking me all sorts of questions without even giving out their names! I almost ran out the school, but thankfully I have at least one of them in all my classes except this one, so at least in the class I'm not disturbed."

"Hmm.. I understand what you mean. They just have this unapproachable aura around them, so everyone just stirs clear off them."

Hermione chuckled at Angela's perceptiveness and thought of the intricacies of the human mind that sensed danger even when it couldn't really identify it making the humans stay away from the vampires by instilling a curious fear about the vampires at their very subconscious levels. _Marvels of our brains!_ she thought and then both girls switched their attention to the teacher as he started explaining all about Schrodinger's cat.

Tiredly, Hermione made her way to the cafeteria queuing up behind Alice and Jasper, both of whom looked to be waiting for her. Bella fell in line behind her with Edward by her side. Choosing their foods, the five of them sat at their table. "It's an art, the way you guys play with your food to make it look like you've eaten."

"We've had a lot of time to perfect it over the years," Jasper shrugged, chucking a cherry tomato on Edward's head.

Hermione giggled at that. "Remind me to keep you away from Weasley lunches. They waste enough food by themselves without you to add to the wastage."

"Oh yeah, we saw that when we had gone there to pick Andromeda up."

Laughing, Alice shared her views of the boisterous family's lunches making Hermione a little homesick with longing. Jasper scrunched his face and gave her a good hard look before she finally shook her head and brought herself out of her reverie.

The bell rang and Edward asked her to tag along with him to their Latin class, so Hermione followed him, both making small talk till they reached the class. Just outside its door though, Hermione halted and looked all around her.

"What happened?"

"Uhm.. I needed some water. Is there a water fountain close by?"

Edward pointed her to the closest water station, "Be back quick, the teacher will be here soon."

Nodding, Hermione dashed off towards the small silver basin and gulped in a few draughts of water. Thinking enough time had lapsed, and not wanting to be late for her first Latin class, she ran back to the class. She knew from her observations of the vampires that they all preferred to sit by the windows, probably for the scent-free fresh air she had deduced but wasn't sure. Anyway, she was sure Edward would again be by the row near the window, so she spun on her heels and took the last bench in the first row, the one furthest from the window. She was pretty sure she'd dodged him and therefore avoided all calamity of yesterday's repeat. She knew she only had to stick it for this one class, she'd seen a pattern with the teachers here that they didn't allow for a change of place in the middle of the year, so if she could sail through this one class, she was set. She hated sitting in the last bench, but it was a price she was willing to pay to keep her new friendships intact.

"Why are you suffocating in a corner here when we could be sitting by the nice breezy windows?" Edward queried in annoyance, plopping himself ungracefully in the seat beside Hermione. Well, as ungracefully as a vampire possibly could, that is.

"Did it occur to you that I may not want to sit with you?" Hermione asked equally annoyed. _What was the point of all her planning if it was going to backfire anyway?_

That stopped him. "Why so ever not? You sat with my siblings _and_ Bella, it only seems fair that we share our bench in this class."

"I'm friends with your siblings and Bella asked me to sit with her."

"You don't think we are friends?" Now, he was confused. After _all_ his pining and confusion, she didn't even consider him a friend? That hurt.

"No, I.." Hermione trailed off, hating herself for being unable to lie.

"You know I can hear your heart beating faster when you try to gamble, right?"

"Okay, fine, I may consider you a friend but I didn't want to sit with you."

"Why?"

"I.. I don't want to say. Look, can we not do this? Just.. just go back to your place and let me sit by myself."

"Sorry, but I can't," he shrugged eloquently.

"What do you mean you can't?" Now, she was getting really angry.

"The teacher's here. We're stuck."

"The…" Hermione looked at the front of the class and sat shocked. _She'd missed the teacher coming in and starting the day's work! Damn, that never happened to her!_ "That's why I hate last benches!" she muttered under her breath, pulling out her book and pen case from her bag and beginning her note taking.

Somewhere in the middle of class when the teacher had turned to look at the board to write something or the other on it, Edward passed a half-foot-long white cased box to Hermione.

Hermione eyed the chocolate sitting innocently in the middle of their desk and then turned to Edward. "They come in a zillion different flavors, I thought you might like to give them all a try before you decide your favorite."

Hermione narrowed her gaze at Edward warningly, but the slight twitch in her lips gave her true feelings away. "Just do me a favor, eat it at home."

And her twitch was gone to be replaced by a scowl. "How could you even think I'd eat in the middle of a class?"

Edward knew then that he was caught between the fire and someplace scalding. He could either let her think that he thought so little of her or he could tell her the true reason for his request and then stand by as she thought of him as a swine of the first waters. He decided to change the topic entirely.

"You have a way of saying thanks that makes it feel like 'drop dead'."

He had expected her to say the normal line 'it's an art' but of course, _she_ never did anything he thought she would.

So she turned to face him, full on, on gave a cheery smile that immediately set him on edge and she said, "Why would I bother to do that to you?"

In all his long years of vampire life, not once had anyone ever called him dead to his face. And he found he liked her cheeky, yet honest humor.

Shaking his head to curb the laughter that was forming in his chest, he said, "You know, I've never laughed so much before you."

"Glad I can fill up the position of a clown for you."

"Oh, you do much more than that, Sweetheart," Edward said without thought and then immediately cursed himself, wishing for nothing more than to take the words back.

They both stayed quiet after that and unsurprisingly enough, he saw Hermione sprint out of the class as if the hounds of hell were on her trail. _I really need to mind my mouth!_

Edward swiftly followed her out the door but took a whole other direction from her Literature class, for more reasons than one…

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Hermione couldn't get out of his car soon enough and the minute she was out, she flew over to collect Teddy, citing some crappy reason for leaving so quickly and she cracked away.

He knew it was the lull before the storm when all of his family kept pining him down with calculated, careful looks and finally when Bella left, the chips all fell!


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 18:**

"Okay then Eddie, enough is enough. You tell us what is going on in that stupid mind of yours or I _will_ tear you up and set you on fire." Rosalie was not even bothering to keep her anger at bay. She'd had enough of Edward's stupidity to last her for the next few centuries! First his human lover, his singer no less, then his obsession with the witch. The witch she had just started to like and who could easily take away the one thing giving her empty existence a purpose, well, apart from Emmett, that is. _Teddy!_ And if Hermione took Teddy away because of Edward, Rosalie _would_ make it her immortal life's mission to kill him in the most unimaginably brutal way possible.

"What do you want to know?" _Was there even a point of hiding anything in his family?_ Between his empath brother, future-seeing sister, and apparently, and this was a new one, a body-language expert sister with a foul temper, he would anyway be hard pressed to keep his confusion from them all for long.

"I'm confused," he owned up. "I do love Bella, but something's changed from the moment I saw Hermione. I don't see Bella the same way as before or maybe I see our relationship more clearly than what I used to. I don't know.. It's just... Bella is my first ever friend, the only girl in as far as I can remember, who braved all odds to befriend me and accepted me even after knowing what I am. She is dependent on me and it all makes me…" he made some odd motions with his hands that his family could not really decipher.

"But Hermione... _I_ am dependent on her. She completes me somehow. Even being in the same room, or now, being away at her place with Teddy, just the fact that she is around here soothes me but when I think that she is not really next to me, it scares me."

"With Bella, I want her to be happy."

"But with Hermione, I _need_ her to be happy to even have a chance at any happiness myself. And not just that too, I need her to be happy _with_ _me_. I need her by my side and I want it to be her choice."

"I'm just... everything's just so fucked up! I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry."

"Tell me, Edward, does either of them ever make you feel different as if you are alive or do you feel like you have electricity shooting up your body when you're with them?" Carlisle asked from his spot on the white armchair.

Edward thought about that question before he answered it. "Bella reminds me of all my shortcomings, she's got everything I've not and I always feel like a monster with her, even though she has always told me otherwise."

"But Hermione.." here he chose his words with extra care to make sure he got his point across. "With her, I am just me. No shortcomings, no inferiority complex, no nothing. Every time I look into her eyes, I just see me, as I am, not how I want to be or how I would like to be. It's always just me in there. I fail to filter my thoughts around her, it's almost like I want her to know me correctly, properly, thoroughly."

"Being with Bella makes me notice the differences between us, I feel the cold I carry within me when I'm with her. I make it a point to keep away from her, so as not to hurt her in any way. But when I'm with Hermione, I feel a warmth spreading through me. I feel more alive than I have a right to feel. I have this urge in me to seek her out, and I just know I'd never hurt her or let her be hurt in any way."

"I feel the need to touch her, whenever she's around. There are times I actually have to stop myself from reaching out to her, whether it is to squeeze her shoulder in reassurance when her eyes cloud over with grief over leaving her friends behind or if it is to tuck a stray curl from falling over eyes. And to be honest, I don't know for how long I'll be able to control those urges anymore. My mouth anyway runs away from me when I am around her. And when she not around, all I can do is think about her and chide myself for even thinking of following her everywhere just so I breathe her in, so I can feast my eyes on her, so I can…"

"I don't much see the confusion there, little brother," Emmett smirked.

"Say it. You already know what's in your heart." Jasper thought loudly enough in his mind, ' _We all know what's in your heart, just accept it._ '

"I love Bella, I know I do. But I'm in love with Hermione."

Jasper was smirking at Edward as he finished his rant and Edward knew it was because that ass of a brother of his had probably felt all of his thoughts and knew of his feelings even before he did. Alice was smiling, again, Jasper had probably spoken to her already or she had seen it coming, Edward sighed. Rosalie was fuming and if it was possible, Edward knew she'd have smoke coming out of her ears. Emmett was caught between amusement and laughter, nothing new there, then. Esme only offered him a small smile in understanding, but Carlisle took the cake from them all.

With all the clinical detachment he possessed, he said, "Hermione might be your vampire mate. And if she is indeed that, let me warn you, Edward, you have your work cut out for you." Then he flashed him a big, broad smile full of paternal pride, "And if that's true, I am so happy for you. You could not have found a better person," and walked out of the hall.

"You screw this, hurt Hermione in any way, making her take Teddy away from me, and I will kill you, Edward, even before he magical friends get here, I will burn you at the stake," Rosalie warned and stormed out the window. Emmett winking at him and following her out.

"You're gonna need a lot of help," Alice said shaking her head and Edward grunted. Alice's method of help was always likely to get him back in the ass.

 _How much worse could things really get?_ He had a break up coming up with a suicidal girl and then a relationship to make with a headstrong witch. Things really couldn't go further south, right?

Ha! If only he knew, there was a storm headed their way…


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19:

The week after Edward's confession to his family had been crazy at best. Almost as if she saw it coming, Bella started clinging more to him and Hermione was avoiding him like the plague.

Bella made it a point to kiss him lingeringly every morning when they picked her up, however much he tried to avoid that particular ritual, and Hermione was staying as away from him as she possibly could, given their extremely overlapping lives. So much so, that the few times that their eyes ever connected in the rear-view mirror she was always the first one to look away. It had taken all of his control to keep driving instead of stopping the car right then, all those times and knocking some sense into her, preferably the lip-on-lip kind that would answer all her questions and assuage all her doubts in one go. But he always soothed his un-beating heart and drove on.

Bella on the other hand was all over him, hinting at their own happily ever after, that she saw coming right after the year's graduation party since she didn't want to look too old for him all through their immortal lives!

And Edward was ready to take a bullet through his head if that were possible! And in the middle of it all had fallen her birthday!

Her entire gang of friends had descended on her at the bewitching hour and whisked her and Teddy away for the day. They had of course invited the Cullens, Luna and Jacob to join in and Edward had spent the day seeing her laughing and dancing with every other guy in the gathering but him.

When she had danced with Harry, her happiness was completely unbridled and he couldn't for his own sake, ever begrudge her that sheer bliss.

Then she'd danced with Ron. It was the first time he had seen them together after their showdown back on the day they'd all gotten together to help her set her house but he instinctively knew his presence was adding more than a bit of joy to her day. "You came," she had whispered to Ron with a soft smile.

"Thousand raging Hippogriff's couldn't have kept me away today, Mione. I told you I love you, didn't I?" and he'd pecked her, on her lips no less, making Edward growl and tighten his fists. Which had been the wrong move, because he was dancing with Bella and his growl had been totally misinterpreted by the wrong brunette in his arms and his fisting had only brought her closer to him, making her moan, thankfully, it was soft though.

"Ron..."

"Don't start Mione. I'll hold my peace if you do. I don't understand your reasons completely, I still don't know why you feel I'd want children more than I want you in my life, but... I'm trying. It's hard to move on from you, but I'm getting there. Just.. stay my best friend, okay? I want that dance you offered me at my wedding. And if, for whatever reason, you change your mind about us and want to come back, just know that I'll be happy for you to be dressed as the bride when we are dancing at my wedding, okay?" That said, Ron had kissed her forehead and walked out, leaving her content and confused all at once.

And that had left more questions in his mind than before. And not just his too, he had seen Rosalie eyeing Hermione differently after that small talk of hers with her best friend. Could it really be that she can't have kids? Edward had heard Rosalie mirroring his own thoughts.

The only upside of his entire week was that when he'd finally plucked up the courage to ask the birthday girl for a dance, she had carefully taken his hand, probably not wanting to seem rude towards him, he had later thought.

And the dance had given him two things – one, the chance to hold Hermione so close to him for the very first time and when he had her there, in his arms, he'd promised himself that he would do everything in his power to make that dance just their first of many that they'd share through eternity.

That thought alone had given him the courage to speak about the thing that had upset their already fragile friendship. And if he had to be a little sly to achieve his ends, well, that was neither here nor there, now, was it? "I meant what I said that day, Hermione, about you being more than a clown to me, but probably not in the same way you interpreted it."

Well, that wasn't a lie, not really. When he'd told her that, he'd still been confused about her, at least at the conscious level.

"Edward, I don't want to come between Bella and you. I won't be a boyfriend thief." Hermione had given him the honest answer for her uncharacteristic behavior.

"What if I promise you you'll never come between us? Just like I will never come between you and your friends? Will that do?"

"It's not the same and you know it."

"It's more similar than you think, sweetheart. Somethings are just meant to happen, why not let them?"

"See.. there.. it's talks like these that make me uncomfortable with you."

He had chuckled. "Then, how about I promise you that I'll be more careful with my words for now. And I'll continue to get you one chocolate bar every day to bribe you for good measure. Is that better?"

Hermione had thrown her head back and laughed. "Well, now that Lindt's in the equation..."

The beats on the enchanted radio had changed and Edward twisted her around before bringing her back to himself. "Are we okay now?"

Hermione had nodded, "We're alright." Smiling, she'd removed her hands from his as Bella came to cut in and moved away from them over to George, both engaging in some outrageous moves of the limbs and were soon joined by Ginny, Harry, Neville and Luna, Jacob hanging back, enjoying seeing his imprint laughing with her friends, just like he was happy seeing Hermione so carefree and cheerful.

Maybe all magical being were similar that way, just like Luna had explained not so long ago.

"Edward is everything alright?" Bella asked looking at Edward then following his eyes to see what had him transfixed to the spot.

"Hmm.."

"I thought there was something wrong when you were looking between Jacob and Luna and smiling, but now.. Edward, you've changed and I don't think I'm much liking this new you."

Figuring he'd never get a better opening, Edward started, "Maybe you're right, I have changed or maybe it's just been me like this all along and I only acted differently for a bit there."

"It's her, isn't it? You think you're in love with Hermione?"

He shook his head, "I know I am in love with her."

Bella stayed quiet for few long minutes. "The Volturi will be on your case if you don't change me."

"They aren't that difficult to shake off. We'll lie low for a century or so and.."

"Edward Cullen, if you think you can get away with not changing me, think again. You may think you love her now, but she will never love you the way I do; she won't change for you, I will. She'll die some day but I'll be there by your side then. What's a few decades worth of wait in the face of all of eternity? But I'll be damned if I spend the rest of eternity with you as an old maid. So you will change me this year after graduation, as planned. I'll share you with her, for now, if I have to but you will be mine in a few short years. You better understand that, Edward, before all this causes more problems."

And with that, Bella left with an unperturbed smile on her face, walking towards Jacob.

It was then that Edward realized he'd created a monster, without ever biting the human...


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 20:

The week seemed too long after those confrontations, for Edward. And yet they had nothing on the weekend. The week after had been downright brutal.

Andromeda had finished her first dosage of chemo and was out of the hospital to recuperate. And things had turned difficult for Hermione to say the least. She was swamped with work from her muggle school and her NEWTs, both of which she had firmly pushed to the back of her mind. What with caring for an infant and an ailing witch.

Rosalie had taken over Teddy's care and only left his side when she had to hunt, when she was replaced by some other family member.

Hermione had hooked the entire house to a few handy magic spells to get menial household chores done by themselves. But even she had to admit that wasn't enough. During the weekend, her friends had popped over at regular intervals to help with Andromeda who unfortunately needed help for the smallest of tasks, including her life processes.

While most things were done with a flourish of the wand, Andromeda was too weak to yield her own magic, the debilitating disease handicapping her at that innate a level. And Hermione was exhausted with keeping all the charms and protective shields in place while helping Andromeda through with her needs.

Whenever her friends popped over, they took over for a bit, but life called them back too soon and Hermione found herself rattling around her big house tending to both the ill and the babe all by herself most through the two days.

Not that she complained but her fatigue was evident in her eyes when Edward went to relieve Rosalie and Emmett for their hunt. She barely sat down, much less slept and he got worried.

"Can't we just hire a nurse for Andromeda?" he finally said, unable to keep his eyes away from the teabags forming under her eyes. "This is just the first dose, she will need a few more before she can bounce back and things will deteriorate before they jump back up," he warned.

"That would've been ideal, Edward, but I can't keep a muggle in the house, even if I do a strong confundus, it's too dangerous – what with the active floo, apparitions and most of all Teddy's uncontrolled magic, none of which can be predicted. Harry is looking around for some magical help but the kind we need is hard to come by."

"And what is it that you need? I'm sure there are nurses in the magical world."

"There are but they are far and few good ones and I can barely entrust a stranger with them both, especially when I'm not around, more so when he or she can yield the wand better than either. We are looking for someone who can be trusted with all of this. And with the war just over a few months back, trusted persons are difficult to come by. Not to mention, we need one who is good at both medical and defensive magic, just to be prepared."

Edward nodded in understanding.

"I'm thinking of quitting school."

"What?! Why?"

"I'm the only one available who fits the description I just gave you. My first priority will always be Teddy and by extension Andromeda, so.."

"You just started a few weeks back!"

"That's better, isn't it? I haven't invested much time into it anyway. And I have to study for my NEWTs whenever I catch a spare minute, so it's not like I'm giving up education altogether. If need be, I can just re-admit myself to school whenever things settle around at home."

"But you can't do that!"

"Why?"

"Because.. then.. we'll all pass out this year. You'll be left alone." "Not new to me," she shrugged.

"Nevertheless, you aren't quitting school. You don't have to anyway, things are going to sort themselves out quickly enough. Just give this one more, okay?" Alice said patiently, as she barged into the room on Jasper's arm.

Edward quickly turned to look at his sister to scan her thoughts, but she pointedly looked away and began thinking of her very recent shag with her mate. A tumble they had apparently taken before getting there, if their mixed scents were anything to go by. Edward recoiled from her thoughts in disgust, trying to flush the images out of his mind.

"If I'm not telling her, I'm definitely not telling you," Alice whispered softly and quickly only for the vampire's ears. Then turning to Hermione, she continued, "Give me one more day, okay? Everything will sort itself out tomorrow, only if you give it a chance. Don't be rash! Carlisle has a day off work tomorrow so Esme and him will swing by here and keep Andromeda company till you're in school and Rose as usual will take Teddy's charge. Be ready in the morning, we'll come over and pick you up for school."

"And I promise that if it doesn't work out by tomorrow, I will not stop you from dropping out," Alice solemnly looked into Hermione's eyes and promised while her right arm snaked behind her back and wickedly crossed her forefinger with the middle one.

"Now, have you had dinner?" -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

That was how next day morning, Hermione found herself dressed for school, for the first time in her life her homework undone in her bag while she cradled a sleepy baby in her arms.

"Hop in," Alice chirped from the back of Edward's car as Rosalie jumped out of Emmett's jeep and took the baby off Hermione and kissed it a very good morning, making the child wake up and gurgle in happiness. They were followed immediately by Carlisle and Esme, who had travelled out in their own car.

Greetings exchanged, and with a heavy heart, Hermione gave one last baleful look at the vampires in front of her house and got into the car.

"Just.."

"Call you when we need anything. We know, now go or you're gonna be late on top of everything else." Rosalie smiled and pushed a little at Hermione's back urging her into her car.

"You're looking better," Edward noted, giving her face a thorough scan from the rearview mirror. "Glamor charms," Hermione rubbed her tired eyes, and Edward noted the fatigue in them.

"You want to skip school and go back to sleep for a bit?" he offered, turning the steering wheel to take a u turn.

"No!" Alice said before Hermione could reply. "She'll be fine. We need to go to school."

Edward again tried to skim through her and Jasper's minds and in unison they both started thinking of their passion filled night. "Ugh!" he screamed in frustration.

Hermione quirked a brow at Edward's sudden burst of emotion but she did not have much strength to probe further. But when she realized where they were she hastily started, "Edward," she put her hand on his shoulder to bring his attention on herself and he braked the car hard in response to sudden burst of electricity he felt shooting through him.

Wide eyed, he caught her eyes and Hermione schooled down her own blush. "We didn't pick Bella."

Whatever fire he felt within him, doused immediately and he brought his attention back to driving, picking his pace again. "She won't be joining us from now on."

"Why?" Hermione furrowed her brows. She had a bad feeling about it all.

"They've hit a.. rough patch in their relationship and.. want some time away to gather their thoughts?" Jasper offered with a shrug.

Hermione just realized that Jasper was seated in the front of the car instead of the seat being vacant like it always was, "Right.." she refrained from rolling her eyes. Again, she was just too tired for this shit right now.

Even after Edward had parked the car and the vampires had gotten off, Hermione took her time to get down and then to walk to her class. Her usual exuberance lost to the lethargy that had set in bone deep.

It was during Math though, that Edward stiffened his posture and during the break that he held back his urge to snarl and throw his mate over his shoulder and run away from all.

Hermione was barely able to pay attention to whatever the teacher was ranting about permutations and combinations when she felt a distinct shift in the wards she had placed around the school's perimeter.

Since it was too big an area to shield by herself, Hermione had only put on alerting wards around the school. Though she felt every magical being in her vicinity with her magic core within, her wards were specific to Death Eaters. She hadn't really thought a stray death eater would stumble across her on a whole new continent in a tiny little town, but one could never be careful. With 'constant vigilance' stamped into her brain for all of posterity, she had erected the alerting wards only as a precautionary measure in the parameters.

With the shift in her wards, Hermione's magic immediately alerted her to an unwanted and dangerous presence and of it's own accord her wand hand flew to her other arm to feel for her wand, it being the only thing that helped her in times of distress.

Her fatigue forgotten, muscles taut with tension, back ramrod straight and hands clenching and unclenching constantly, she barely managed to sit still in her class instead of flying out of it to look for the unwanted guest. It was only Alice's cold hand arresting her wrist that made her sit through the last ten minutes of the class.

Edward saw Hermione's shift and instinctively his protective side came out, readying him for a fight should one ensue. But nothing happened.

The trio left the class and Hermione's eyes swept over ever column and passageway but they fell on nothing awry. Too worked to eat, she made a beeline for their table, turning her chair to face the door, hand still moving almost reverently over her hidden wand.

She didn't have to wait long. Her nemesis stood poised at the door tall, proud and stormy eyed as ever.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 21:

"Malfoy!" Hermione stood from her seat with such force that her chair toppled over behind her, every set of eyes in the cafeteria trained on them.

"Granger," he drawled as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened as all pairs of eyes turned his way, most girls swooning in their minds at the hunk that was now walking, nay, prowling in their midst.

"What are you doing here?"

He smirked, "Not big on greetings, you Gryffindors, are you?"

Unthinking, Hermione clenched her wand tighter through her sleeve, one smooth tug and it would be in her hand if she needed to yield it.

Draco saw the move and raised one perfect eyebrow. "I only want to talk," he lifted his hands in the universal sign of submission. "Here, in front of your new schoolmates or outside in private, I'll leave the choice to you."

Never in her life had Hermione ever thought she'd walk away willing to talk to Draco Malfoy of all people, in private, but she agreed. Not wanting to give more fodder to the gossip mills, she excused herself from her table and walked away, pulling at the cafeteria's side-entrance door to step out onto the green lawns. She did not need to turn around to know Draco was following her, the tingling in her nape caused by his undoubtedly unblinking stare was enough of a give-away.

Finding a secluded corner under the shade of tree, she fired her questions one after the other. "What do you want to talk about? Why are you here? How did you know where to find me?"

Just like everyone else, the vampires felt the tension in the air and when Hermione excused herself and was followed out by the pale blond, Edward rose from his chair, too. Alice quickly put her hand on his, "She needs this. Or else she'll burn under all the stress. Let them speak, it's all for her benefit."

Feeling uneasy, Edward sat down, none too happy about the new events.

Outside, Draco gave Hermione a long look, his eyes taking in every aspect of her appearance. "You're beat."

"Spill, Malfoy or I'm leaving."

And yet he remained lost in thought for a little longer. Just when Hermione was giving up and walking back through the path she had come from, he began. "I wanted to thank you, for speaking up for my mother and I. Had it not been for Potter and you, we would've been thrown into Azkaban, being punished for the sins of my father."

Hermione stared hard at the young man in front of her and saw the sincerity that once was very rarely reflected in his eyes and she offered him a small smile. "You fought for us after the Room of Requirement incident and your mother lied to Voldemort for Harry, that was enough to put our trust in you."

He inclined his head in gratitude, knowing that if the tables were reversed, he would neither have spoken for her nor tried to give her, her freedom in any way.

"How did you know where to find me?"

"Potter gave the name and the co-ordinates of the place and told me you went to school here and your timings."

"But why? A simple thank-you note would have sufficed, you know."

His eyes turned liquid silver in amusement. "I owe you a life debt, a simple letter would never have sufficed, or did you not read those books yet?" She opened her mouth to cut him, but he continued before any sound escaped her, "Potter told me because I approached him for something more than expressing my gratitude."

"Without any further ado.." Hermione waved her hand in front of her as if asking him to continue.

"Mother wishes to be with her sister at her time of need and I want to be a part of my nephew's life," Draco sated simply and yet Hermione felt as if the ground beneath her feet was pulled away from under her.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Hermione sat quietly through the remainder of her day at school, when back she went straight to Andromeda's room and emerged only an hour later, heading for the fireplace in the hall. She floo called Harry, rousing him from his slumber and both of them spoke for long in a privacy bubble she had placed permanently around the floo.

When she came off her floo call, she was decidedly worse for wear. Her skin looked ashen, her face and hair were coated with floo powder and soot, her eyes were burning with unshed tears and her face was turning pale blue with all the throbbing nerves.

"I need some tea. Would any of you like some?" she asked unthinkingly.

When the vampires empathetically returned her look, she cringed. "I am so sorry. I.. I'll go make myself some tea," she smiled wanly and jerkily moved towards the kitchen.

She stood in the spacious kitchen, in automation assembled her tea and stared absent mindedly at the water for far too long.

"Sweetheart, you realize that you need to switch on the gas for the water to boil, right?" Edward asked her from the doorway.

Hermione looked up at him in confusion first, then groaned in frustration at the unlit stove, though not switching it on either.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked her softly, quietly stepping in beside her.

Her entire demeanor turned helpless, her shoulders sagged and her eyes lost all their luster. "I can't.. I can't do this, Edward. Andromeda wants to reconcile with her sister. Teddy would benefit from knowing his only other blood relatives.. but, I can't. I can't share him.. I can't lose him.." she whispered so softly that had the other occupants of her house not been vampires, they wouldn't have heard the last part at all.

Rosalie tensed up in the hall at the last part and immediately appeared in the kitchen, all her maternal instincts raised. "What do you mean lose Teddy?"

"Draco.. the guy who came to see me today is Andromeda's nephew. Andromeda comes from a pureblood family and she left it all when she fell in love with her husband, a half-blood. Her family disowned her, never to speak to her again. But now, with everything settling down, her sister, Draco's mother, wants to reconcile with her estranged sister. Draco wants to be a part of Teddy's life, he never had any chance to meet his only cousin, he... I am okay with all of it. Who am I to stop a family from coming together? But..." she shivered, wrapping her arms protectively around her middle.

"But they are very rich, even influential. What if they decide they want more? What if they take my Teddy away from me? I can't live without him. I can't do that.. I love him as he were my own, and if they take him away..." and she broke down like she had never before.

Between sniffles, she continued speaking, "He is all I have now... The only one to call my own. I can't lose him now, not like this. I need him more than he needs me. And... And what if they take him away? How will I live knowing he is right there but so far away...?"

She hadn't realized when Edward crouched low beside her and cradled her to himself, tucking her head in his hard chest but when she looked up, she wasn't surprised to be held so comfortingly by him, it was almost as if she didn't register anything beyond her doubts and grief.

"Harry says it's the right thing to do. He's promised me they can't take Teddy away.. but what if it all backfires? I can't imagine a life without Teddy in it.. I just can't Edward..." Hermione clutched at his shirt's front and buried herself in his chest, crying, wetting his shirt with her tears.

Edward held her close and rubbed her back, whispering comforting words . "He won't, sweetheart. I promise you I won't let anyone take Teddy away from you." He kissed her forehead. This is probably how parents felt when they worry about their kids, he thought, wondering how his own mother must have felt when she'd seen him close to death.

Rosalie looked at the scene playing out in front of her and felt her un-beating heart clench. Just as well she couldn't cry, or else she would definitely be beside the brunette, howling her own grief, wailing loudly to all the heavens up, above. She then looked carefully at the tender way in which Edward held Hermione to himself, promising her things she was pretty he didn't know how to deliver, but knowing Edward, he'd find a way, she knew. The stupid git was resourceful and just plain lucky!

She stared surprised when he didn't look up at her for her thoughts. It really could be the real thing, she thought biting her lip and turned her attention to her family who were all standing by the kitchen's entrance watching the couple on the floor. All except one, her Emmett. He only looked at her.

She didn't have to think twice. In two swift steps she was in his arms and he kissed her forehead. "No one's taking Teddy away, I won't let them. You know I'd kill to keep you happy, right? And no one goes against me, I am the strongest vampire there is, I'm near indestructible," he shrugged arrogantly, pulling a smile from his Rose. "Good," he pecked her nose, "Now, just keep smiling like this for me and point me in the direction of this Draco guy, and I'll sort out the rest."

Alice's tinkling giggle cut through the tense atmosphere. "He won't do anything of that sort Hermione. Trust me on this one. He, and his mother for that matter, only want to be a part of Andromeda's and Teddy's lives, just give them one chance, for me, and you'll see that everything will fall in line."


	23. Chapter 23

AN: Happy New Year my dear readers!!

Okay, two things:

1\. I've got a persistent plot bunny running amok in my mind with a Vampire Hermione!! It'll be a crossover between HP Twilight... SO... Whom would you like me to club her with? I am keeping it open for Voting... do let me know in the reviews..

Voting on till the 31st of Jan... I'll tally the votes and pick the hero for our fav Gryffindor witch!

I'd prefer either Sam or Jacob since they are the Alphas and having an alpha with a vamp shud be fun to write but I'm open to any of your suggestions as well...

2\. I'm thinking of bumping the rating of this one to M... What say you? Do let me know...

Chapter 22:

Hermione was never one to believe in all the divination baloney, yet somehow Alice managed to talk her into giving Draco-sodding-Malfoy a chance to prove himself, a chance for his mother and him to make a place in Andromeda's and Teddy's lives. Thereby terribly twisting and overlapping their own lives with hers.

F-ing brilliant!

"Why, oh why did it have to be the ferret boy? Why couldn't Andromeda's sister have been Neville's Grandmother? I would've happily welcomed him in my life, even adjusted a little to let him have some time with Teddy... But NOOOO! It had to be the stupid snake-boy.. from the deranged pits of the hellish dungeons! I swear to Merlin, if he so much as looks at Teddy the wrong way, I'll break his nose! AGAIN! Yes.. Yes.. that'll be nice.. dislodge his nose, and then maybe kick his shin while he's distracted and then run. Hmm.. if only I knew hand combat I could've broken a few ribs too. Oh damn! How could I forget? I could just use Lockhart's bone vanishing spell and send him to St. Helena's here to lay on a bed for weeks re-growing all his bones! Oh that is perfect!" Hermione was ranting to herself, walking beyond the Cullens' front porch.

Every vampire inside heard her clearly though and shuddered at her maniacal words.

"Do you really think she can vanish bones?" Jasper asked surprised.

"Amazing! They even have potions for re-growing bones! Wizarding medicine I tell you, is absolutely brilliant!" Carlisle smiled his beatific smile, his eyes glinting with his urge to learn more of the new world of medicines.

Chuckling, Edward stepped out. "Hermione, how about I make you a cup of tea while we wait for him?"

"Yeah, if you are plotting ways to kill him, there's no point in coming here for the meeting. The reason I advised this was just so it wouldn't come to blows but if you continue this.." Alice's lilting tones mirthfully warned her from the inside.

"Step in, sweetheart, the sky is about to break any moment now," Edward held his hand out for her to take.

Just when Hermione was wondering exactly when and why Edward had started calling her that, a faint pop came from across the clearing and out stepped a handsome platinum blond.

Hermione turned sharply to face him and he stopped in his steps, his eyes narrowing and zeroing on Edward who was still stood on the porch with his arm outstretched.

"You realize there's a vampire standing right behind you, beckoning you to him?" Draco asked with his usual drawl.

Hermione pulled in a long calming breath and glared at him. "Really? You don't say."

That stopped him short. "Why are you fraternizing with a vampire?"

"We're good friends. In fact, it's not just him but his whole family. They are helping me with Andromeda and Teddy," Hermione shrugged.

Draco's eyes darkened, but nothing apart from that gave away his inner anger. "What do my aunt and nephew have to do with them?"

"Carlisle, their coven head, or father as they like to think, is Andromeda's treating doctor. She is suffering from a muggle illness but since I can share wizarding medicinal knowledge with him, we are combining the two and working to better her condition. Whereas for Teddy, Rosalie, a member of the coven who loves kids, babysits him for me when I am at the local muggle school."

"So in essence, you leave a witch who can't yield her wand and her little grandchild who is too young to even hold one, in the care of a species who are known for their bloodlust?"

"Get this straight Malfoy, I will not tolerate a word against my friends here. It is only because of them that I am even giving you the time of day, but I..."

Whatever it was that Hermione wanted to say was lost to the wind as she felt a sharp tug pulling her forward, her eyes widened when she realized it was Draco who was pulling her to him with a softly muttered wandless spell.

Even before Edward could reach the duo with his spurt of vampiric speed, Draco had Hermione wrapped in a single arm and he apparated them out with a crack.

Fear like none he'd ever felt took a grip of Edward. He shouted to his family for help and told them what had happened even as he continued running through the woods, looking for any trace or even a faint smell of Hermione's. _Oh, why the fuck am I not a tracker?!_

All the Cullens except for Rosalie and Esme who were at Hermione's place with Andromeda and Teddy followed Edward out, each using every power they had to find Hermione, everyone wondering if she was even in the woods at all.

Even while running, Alice tried to get her psychic powers to tell her of Hermione's location. Trees.. she saw a lot of trees.. but where? Was it even in Forks or were they in some woodlands elsewhere?

Meanwhile, Draco had spent the night combing through Forks. Thankfully it wasn't too large a town so he had easily seen the whole of it in preparation for his meeting with the Golden Girl the next day.

It was going to be a screw-up, he knew and he was pretty sure she knew it too but she'd said her new friends insisted on it so she had given in, and he'd been only too happy to see his nephew earlier than anticipated.

Draco had Harry in his pocket when he'd spoken to him back in England but Potter had warned him that the final decision would be _**Mione's**_ , he scowled remembering Potter's face as he had said that.

His magic had felt off at her school, but not with something he couldn't handle, so he'd thought her sheer vibes of hatred were making that happen; he hadn't given much anything any thought that day, too keen only on making Granger see him as the new man he was, so she would grant him access to his own nephew.

Then, he'd walked in on her talking with a fucking vampire! Not just that too, but she'd stood there, as tall as her little frame would allow and looked down at him when in the same breath informing him that a vampire coven was responsible for his only extended family's well-being. _Fuck the sodding Gryffindors!_

So, he'd summoned her with a spell that could at best be considered a part of grey magic and apparated out, with _the_ Hermione Granger imprisoned between his arm and chest.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, playing with the safety of my family?" he growled in her ear.

As soon as she felt the hard ground beneath her feet, Hermione pushed Draco hard, as away from her as possible and brought her wand out and had her tiny yellow birds attacking him.

"Oh, grow up!" Draco cancelled her jinx with one smooth wave of his wand, without bothering with any incantation. "They might be enough to scare the company you usually keep, but I'm not that easily scared, especially after the horrors I've seen the past few years."

"You have no right to judge anyone, Malfoy, especially after what you've done the past few years."

"I did it for my mother, Granger, and if it comes to it all over again, I'd do the same to keep her safe. My father, just like the Dark Lord, was not one to be crossed. My mother would've paid for my mistakes and I'd rather die than let anything happen to her."

 _Oh_ , Hermione did the perfect mimicry of a fish.

Draco was standing a few steps away, with his head tilted to the side, as if considering something, "You're still the bleeding heart championing the causes of the lesser magical beings," he noted, as if to himself rather than to her.

"They are my friends, Malfoy. They've helped me immensely, and I won't have a word spoken against them. They are good people, and if you give them a chance you may actually even make a friend or two."

"With vamps? No thank you, I think I'm good."

 _Bloody ferret!_ "How have all your prejudices served you so far, you idiot? Just... be sane for once and give them a try! They don't even drink human blood and you know as well as I that our blood doesn't appeal to them!"

"That's not true. Our blood appeals to few of them..."

"Yes, about 7.38% of the entire vampire population finds our blood irresistible, I know!" Draco snorted in his mind, not even surprised she knew the exact figure. "...but they aren't from that tiny group! We did blood wards around my house in their presence and not one of them tried to drink any of us dry."

"You willingly bled in front of vampires? Gryffindor bravery be damned, this is just plain stupid!" Draco narrowed his eyes, like hers, his eyes too were sparking with his anger.

"Gah! Just give them a try or get lost! I don't want to indulge in this pitiful fight with you anymore!"

Draco gritted his teeth hard enough to make a vein in his head pop continuously as he fisted his hands and in a last ditch attempt to calm himself, he hit a tree trunk. Hard. _All the fucking cards were in her hand!_ He either made peace and buried his survival instinct or he would never get to meet his aunt and nephew! "That's not really a choice, is it?" he mumbled under his breath and looked at Hermione again who was seeing him like he was all kinds of foolish.

"Give me your hand," she said irritably and without waiting for him to do that, she pulled at his arm and looked on clinically at his bleeding knuckles.

Sighing she pulled her wand out and started muttering a string of spells to heal his hand.

Draco looked at the witch healing him with a frown on his face. She'd always been like this. He remembered, even back in their third year, when that crazy hippogriff had attacked him, she had been the one to make that dubious gigantic professor of theirs to take him to the hospital wing, not any of his housemates. Her. Of course she had punched him in the face for trying to get that same creature executed later that year, but she'd always been a bleeding heart with healing hands.

He was anyway changing so much for his mother, now that his father had no control on them, he could do one more thing for her. _Yes,_ he sighed. He could and he would. He knew, he had to. His mother had asked it of him.

"For my mother's sake," he finally relented. "She really wants to be with sister again and I wouldn't mind having another guy to share all the familial burdens with."

Hermione's face turned all comical at the last bit of his sentence. "You realize the other guy is a five months old baby right?"

"Whatever," Draco shook his head and grabbed Hermione's wrist, apparating them back to the edge of the woods close to the vampires' property.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"They're back home," Alice suddenly stopped running and turned around, running the opposite way instead.

Edward was overtaking her within seconds and the vampires reached their home in minutes, only to see Hermione sitting on the steps and Draco leaning on the railing.

"You scoundrel!" Edward snarled and had Draco pinned to the railing behind him, with just his elbow lodged perfectly in his throat, cutting off his oxygen supply, even before Draco could get his wand out.

"I'm gonna kill you for that," Edward continued baring his teeth, his voice menacing and eyes shining ferally.

Hermione jumped to her feet and pushed herself between the two. "Edward...! Stop it, you're choking him," she stressed her point frantically seeing the blue tinge Draco's skin was quickly taking up, placing her body between the two and pushing at them both with her hands firmly pressed into their shoulders.

"He hurt you! I'm going to kill him," Edward pressed on harder into Draco's throat.

"EDWARD ANTHONY MASON CULLEN! YOU BETTER STEP BACK RIGHT NOW OR ELSE..." Hermione warned in her no nonsense voice making Edward flinch at the loud shout right beside his ears.

With one last thrust of his elbow, Edward reluctantly pulled his arm back and snarled warningly at the blond again, while his other arm, of its own violation, snaked around Hermione's middle and he pushed her behind his body, shielding her from the young man he considered a threat with a capital T!

"You try something like that with my mate again, _blondie,_ and I swear to God, not even she will be able to save you from my wrath," he whispered softly for only the wizard's ears but Draco probably did not hear him between his loud, panting-coughing fit.

Hermione pushed at Edward, though he did not change his protective stance. Rolling her eyes, she tried walking around him and seeing her advancing towards the wheezing wizard again, Edward snapped.

"And you!" he growled at Hermione, tugging her towards him by her wrist, he threw her over his shoulder and ran back into the woods.

"They need the talk," Alice whispered quickly and softly to the remainder of her family and as a team they walked to the young wizard still coughing by their door. Jasper ran inside their house and brought a glass of water while Emmett helped the wizard stand and Alice rubbed his back.

Draco barely controlled the flinch from the sudden cold all around him, but was thankful for the unexpected hospitality as he tried to right himself, though in the chaos he did not notice that he was left alone with the vampires, and his assaulter and the witch were missing.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Edward stopped at a small clearing in the woods and put Hermione down by a tree. The past few seconds had shaken her up a little, what with seeing half the forest buzzing past her in a big, blur of green and brown, but as soon as she found her bearings and her breath, she launched a loud rant at Edward.

"What the hell, Edward! Is it a run-away-with-Hermione day?"

"He took you away from me and you were trying to check on his wellbeing!" Edward bit back agitated. "Don't you have even an ounce of self-preservation in you? He could've hurt you. He could've taken you anywhere and I might have lost you forever..."

"I know my way around a wand!"

"Yeah, just like you saved yourself so well when he literally pulled you to him like a piece of metal to a strong magnet and cracked away with you! Like you did so well, when I ran away with you! It only takes seconds, Hermione! And you were too slow! Anything could've happened. I couldn't even trace your scent! Where the fuck did he take you? What happened? Are you alright? Cause if that bastard hurt you, I will peel him alive and even you won't be able to stop me." Edward moved towards her and scanned her face, neck and arms for signs of bruises.

Hermione daren't move. She plastered herself to the tree trunk and stood as rigidly stiff as she could, not giving even a tiny millimeter's worth of sway. Edward was standing close to her, too close, his head bent to examine her, his eyes scanning all the visible parts of her body and she felt the tingles of his proximity right down to the toes of her feet!

But she couldn't control the quickening of her heart, the hitching of her breath when Edward's copper hair brushed against her cheek. He shifted slightly and their noses were suddenly close enough to touch.

Edward stared at the light blush that Hermione was unable to control, while Hermione resolutely kept her gaze lowered, refusing to look at the vampire. Somehow, she just knew what she'd see in his amber eyes if she looked up and she wasn't too sure if she could resist that look in her current state, when he was standing so close to her that one step towards her would have his toned, hard body pressed against her and...

"Stop that!" Edward growled close to her ear.

"I.." Hermione's tongue flew out to moisten her dry lips, "I haven't done anything."

"Your heart's beating too fast. Your breathing's too ragged. Your scent.." Edward ran his cold nose across the juncture of her neck and collar bone, then up her throat, "it's too alluring," he moved his hand to her hip and ran it up her side, pushing at her back to bring her closer to him, "for me to think straight." His hand ran up her back, entangling itself in her hair, then he dipped his head back and licked lightly behind her ear, while he tugged her hair and moved her head to give his roving tongue better access to taste her thoroughly.

"It's getting stronger..." he chuckled close to her ear, making her finally look up at him with confusion in her hazy eyes.

Smirking smugly, he gave her knowing look then bent his head close to her ear again, making her shiver, "The scent of your arousal... it's getting stronger... You're turned on and I'm finding it very difficult to stop myself from doing something about it."

Hermione turned beet-red at that and pursed her lips, forcing herself to take deep, deep breaths to calm herself. "We.. we can't.. I.. I don't want to be a rebound thing..." she said, her hand at his shoulder again, trying to push him away half-heartedly.

He moved his hand to cover hers on his shoulder and sighed, touching his forehead to hers. He pushed his fingers under her chin, making her look up at him. "You aren't and never will be a rebound thing, Hermione. You're my mate. It'll only ever be you. Always you. But I'll wait till you're ready."

"Mate?" Hermione asked doubtfully. Edward simply nodded. "How do you know that?"

"Will you believe me if I say I just do?" Hermione raised her eyebrow skeptically making Edward chuckle. "You know, there's only way for me to prove it to you."

"Which is..?" she prompted.

"Follow your dear friend Luna's advice and shag you senseless. If I mark you, then you're mine, if not," he shrugged his shoulders cheekily, "you'll at least get some stress relief out of it."

"You dolt!" Hermione blushed furiously and slapped his chest with the back of her hand, wincing at the unintentional pain she inflicted on herself, before she started walking briskly away from him.

"You can't run away from me," he said, pulling gently at her hurt hand and inspecting it carefully before placing soft butterfly kisses on each of her knuckles. Then he looked deep in her sinful caramel eyes, his amber ones turning darker like liquid gold, "I'm literally the fastest predator there is," he said, bending his head down and nibbling his way across her jaw, taking care to keep his fangs retracted.

Hermione shivered at the enticing mixture of cold and warm twisting inside her, but shook herself to bring her head out of the daze Edward was continuously putting it in. "Not yet, Edward. Not now, not like this."

Edward snarled in frustration, fisting his hands before he stepped back. "Just don't take too long."

Never one to lose a good opportunity to tease, (hey, she was almost family to the Weasley twins!) Hermione smirked. "Why? Running out of time, are you?"

Despite his extreme frustration of the sexual kind, Edward snickered. "No, my darling, I'm running out of self-control," he replied in a husky voice and picked her up in his arms, walking at a humane pace, grudgingly taking them both back to reality.


	24. Chapter 24

AN: Thank you to all those who voted!

Chapter 23:

"So, you and the vampire then?" Draco asked raising a brow as soon as the two came into view. He had wisely refused to go inside the house with the vampires and so they were all standing there outside just beyond the porch of the Cullens' home.

Hermione had made Edward set her down before they lost the cover of the woods and thanked the stars Draco hadn't seen her being carried bridal style by Edward. As much as the action made her heart swoon and drop, she just knew Draco would abuse the knowledge and it would not be for her benefit.

"It's none of your business, now, is it?"

"No," Draco conceded, "but he seems like your type." Edward couldn't control his smirk. "Shaggy red hair, light eyes, tall, funny sense of style, clueless about most things in general and with a temper that has nothing to do with common sense." This time Edward scowled and Draco in return, smirked.

"Shut it, Malfoy. You, of all, are definitely not one to talk about temper."

"I've changed," Draco challenged.

"From five minutes back?" Hermione asked innocently.

Just as Draco pushed himself up, to put his point across, Alice intervened. "Alright then, that's enough with the pleasantries. Why don't we get inside and talk semantics now?"

Draco lifted his chin defiantly, waiting for Hermione to acquiescent the request first.

"Fine, but only if he minds his manners."

"My manners are immaculate, Granger. It's your sense of self-preservation that needs work."

"See.. that's what I mean.. I'm not about to share my boy with someone like him," Hermione glared at Alice.

"Your boy..??"

"Yes, Teddy is my boy. And I'm not sure what type of influence you'll be on him." This time she turned her nasty look towards Draco.

"Exactly the sort he needs," Draco sneered. "Besides security, both physical and financial, I'll give him my time, share in his responsibilities. I'll be there to take him out when you suffocate him with books, I'll be the one to teach him how to fly a broom when all the other uncles of his will be busy in their own lives and you will be cowering in fear, hidden under a table. I'll be the one available when his godparents are busy saving the world," he finished.

"You ass..." Hermione flipped and a slight movement later, in her place stood a graceful panther, pawing at the mud under it's paw as it readied itself to charge at him.

"What? No lioness? That's quite disappointing," Draco looked at her as if thoroughly unimpressed while the vampires around stood in shock at her transformation.

And Hermione charged, her last flimsy hold on her temper lost to Draco's careless remark.

With a slight twitch of his own, Draco charged ahead, changing mid-leap into a jackal as large as half-a-car.

Hermione went for his neck, with an intention to injure, though not too brutally, while Draco only worked in self-defense, doing his best to keep her away and taking care to not injure her at all.

It only took half a minute for the shock of it all to wear off before Edward and Emmett pounced right in and separated the fighting animals. "Back into human forms, right now," Emmett ordered in a rare bout of seriousness.

The two phased back.

Edward, who'd only ever seen the reservation wolves phasing, completely expected Hermione to phase back naked, and was shielding her body from everyone else around. Much to his surprise though, she came back with her clothes intact. He angled his head slightly to see Draco had done the same.

 _Interesting._

"Now, if we are done being all juvenile, can we grow up and work towards establishing some sort of semblance in our lives?" Alice glared at the witch and then turned to the wizard.

"She started it," Draco said, pulling at the hem of his shirt to straighten it.

"I don't care who started it," Alice began, throwing a glower at Edward who'd promptly snarled at Draco, "I will finish it. I will not stand by while you let your school rivalry throw your adult life for a toss."

"Then ask the beaver to behave herself," Draco glared at Alice. Alice scrunched her brows and turned towards Hermione.

"Only if the ferret minds his tongue." Hermione crossed her arms in front of her chest, signaling that was her final offer.

"What's wrong with your schooling?"

"Where would you like me to start?" Draco asked Alice with saccharine sweetness.

"I meant, for two grown people to call each other animal names," Alice clarified.

"Oh that," a light colour marred Draco's cheeks.

"A ferret will remain a ferret," Hermione said in passing as she made to enter the glass house.

"Yet, a beaver turns into a kitten," Draco followed in after her.

"Don't you dare call me that," Hermione turned to face Draco.

Every vampire present rolled its eyes. He was bound to call her just that from then on, and she only had herself to blame for it.

"Why, kitten? Upsets you, does it?"

"I'm not a kitten, and you're a dog."

"Yes, I am," Draco grinned proudly, "I'm half Black. Blacks are always canines, or have you forgotten your dear Rebel? He was a large dog too, wasn't he?"

"What did you just say?" Edward asked, _another Black?_ He was really beginning to hate that last name!

"About what, Coop?"

"Coop?" Edward looked at Draco strangely.

"Yep," Draco snidely remarked. "The Golden Girl and her Copper Vamp – A post-war Saga. Hmm... I can almost see the books selling themselves."

"And that's why Alice, there's no talking with the snake-boy! He just isn't worth it!" Hermione stomped her foot and entered the sitting area.

"All these years, and she's just as fun to rile up," Draco winked and followed her in. Alice, Jasper and Emmett not a step behind.

 _Yep! I hate all Blacks!_ Edward grimaced and followed the party in.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

And that was how, a week from that day, Hermione found herself sharing tea with Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy and her son in her own house, after the regal witch had made her teary reunion with her sister, of course.

"Thank you so much, Miss Granger, for everything. You have no idea how much this reconciliation means to me. I had been begging Lucius to allow me to meet with my sister and make amends but he never relented, but now that he is away in Azkaban, I pestered Draco to bring me to my sister. And it is only because of your kind ways that I've finally got the chance."

Draco managed to contain his snort at the 'kind ways' bit, remembering exactly how taxing the Gryffindor Princess' kindness was on him.

"The thanks is really not necessary, Mrs. Malfoy," at least not to me, Hermione added in her mind, while part-taking in the most awkward tea party of her life.

"Narcissa, or even Cissy will do dear. We are going to be too much around each other to stick to formalities," Lady Malfoy insisted.

"Hermione then, please," Hermione graciously invited while eyeing Draco dubiously. He heaved an exaggerated sigh. "I'm sticking with Granger."

"As you wish, Drakey-poo," Hermione inclined her head. Draco scowled.

"I'm not sure how this works, but if you ever need to, I've readied two guest rooms for your use," Hermione switched gears and turned to speak to Narcissa, ironing out the small details, trying to make the new transition as smooth for everyone involved as possible. Though, Hermione stirred clear of her day's timetable, not trusting the two Malfoys enough to let them know when and for how long she'd be unavailable, and the two Malfoys, whether by a slight overthought or because they understood her reluctance, did not ask after it either.

"The coven of vampires that help me will be here shortly. They wanted to afford us some privacy for our talks so they did not intrude earlier, but I'd like you to know them since they are a big part of our lives here. Dr. Cullen, their head is treating Andromeda, so any query, any doubt you have that I haven't answered, you can ask him. He is really nice and very patient and will explain everything to you as many times as you'd need. Also, one of his adopted daughter's helps me with Teddy, so I figured introducing the lot of them to you two is crucial."

"Indeed," Narcissa bobbed her regal head once. Thankfully, a few moments in, the coven arrived and introductions were made all around.

"She's beautiful, for a human," Rose grudgingly complimented, whispering near Hermione's ear. "I can see where the boy gets his good looks from."

Hermione made a foul face. "His father was just as good looking," she murmured, softly before walking away from Rose.

Teddy had just recently started crawling and was always all over the place, zip-zapping between the elders as fast as his fours could take him and flashing them gurgling smiles when caught, and Hermione was busy trailing after him whenever she was at home, so that's where she went to when

she left Rose behind. Not that Rose was one to stop, she too was trailing behind the babe, beaming with maternal pride.

She is blessed with a family here, Narcissa thought to herself as she looked at the brunette and the vampires scattered all around the said witch's home. Some people are just lucky she thought and looked at her own son, who stood in corner, eyeing the crawling baby with amusement but not stepping ahead.

Draco had so much love to give but no one to understand him, Narcissa felt her eyes brimming with tears. She hoped that would change as he spent more time with the muggle-born witch. Hermione was famous for her compassion and she hoped her son would receive some and finally have someone to call a friend, if not family, after she departed this earth.

As bad as her husband was thought to be, Narcissa really did love him, and staying away from her soul-mate was a punishment that she knew she wouldn't be able to endure for long. It was for that reason, more than anything that she had wanted to patch things up with her estranged sister.

She did not want to leave this earth without making up with the only family she had living, nor did she want to leave Draco so alone in this world. She had hoped Teddy would engage her son, but now she hoped Teddy's extended family accepted him too.

It would mean the world to him, she thought and smiled.

Unbeknownst to her, all her thoughts were heard by one, and all her emotions felt by another.

Alice looked at her mate and her brother and challenged them to defy the order she was throwing at them with her eyes.

"Oh, the things we do for love!" Jasper muttered under his breath as he pulled Edward's hand to walk towards Draco to extend the first hand of friendship.

"Not a chance!" Edward clucked his tongue. "The guy disappeared with my mate! The only reason he is even alive is because Hermione would undoubtedly have my hide if I did something to him. Had it not been for that, I'd have killed him within the second I saw him."

"Edward!" Alice glared at him, both the adopted siblings speaking in fast hushed tones to avoid the mortals from over-hearing them. "He is gonna be close to Hermione. They've both grown up as single children, lonely in their own ways, so they're soon gonna forge a sibling bond. You better get over your hatred for the guy, because if you want things to progress between Hermione and yourself you will have to accept her entire extended family. She is no Bella to leave everyone for you..."

Edward growled lowly in his throat at his sister, wondering why he thought of her as his favorite one, and stomped his way towards Draco. Oh, the things we do for love! He repeated Jasper's sentiment in his mind as he went to befriend the guy he wanted to kill less than a week ago...

All for love, indeed... he sighed yet again in his mind as he made small talk with the guy, who, according to Alice was gonna be kinda-sorta a brother-in-law to him.

That was, of course, assuming Hermione accepted their bond and took things along with him... He expelled an unnecessarily long breath and bid his time waiting to chat with his mate...

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Edward hung back after everyone left and busied himself in the kitchen, making a cup of hot chocolate for his mate as she bid everyone else a good-bye.

They needed to talk and they never really got a chance to speak about themselves at other times, even when they technically spent the entire day with each other. What could he do? School really was not a place to speak of soul-mate issues, and close as his family was, there was never any privacy with them around.

Hermione tiredly flung herself on the couch and rubbed at her temples. She finally had a moment's respite. Everyone had left and the two sharing her house were deep in slumber-lands. Feeling the bone-deep lethargy seeping in, Hermione felt her head lolling at an odd angle on the sofa's headrest as her eyes drooped shut, darkening and blackening everything from her consciousness within the fraction of a second.

And that was how Edward found her, her hands wrapped around her middle, as if shielding herself and her head bent oddly on the top of the couch's backrest. He smiled, everything in him warming at that innocent sight.

He set the mug of cocoa down and began walking around the house, switching off all the lights and shutting the few windows that were on the ground floor. He then made his way back to Hermione, completely intending on carrying her to her bed. And if the opportunity presented itself, he knew he'd stand back all night to just watch her sleep.

 _Stalker_ a voice sounding very much like Rosalie's sounded in his head, which he promptly and quite unashamedly quelled. Bending at the hip, he went down to hoist Hermione up, yet found himself at the business end of her wand pressed hard unto his face.

"Sweetheart, it's just me."

"What was the last thing you said to me in the woods the other day?"

"What?" Edward was confused and moved to bring her wand down, but Hermione pressed it in further.

"Answer me."

"I said that the only way I could prove to you that we were mates was for me to shag you senseless, for, I'm pretty sure I'd end up marking you, just like your dear friend Luna says. And then, when you tried to run away from me, I told you there was no escaping me since I am the fastest predator there is. Later, when you told me you didn't want to rush into anything and joked about me running out of time, I told you it was my self-control that is running low and that I'm finding it very difficult to control myself around you. Every single time I see you, I just want to pin to the closest flat surface and kiss your adamancy off, so you'd start seeing things my way and let me make you mine sooner rather than later."

"You didn't say the last bit," Hermione blushed, her eyes dropping along with her wand hand.

"No?" Edward smiled. "Well, I can assure you, I sure thought it."

A few quick seconds ticked by. "What was that about, Hermione?"

"Just a precaution to make sure no one was impersonating you."

"Ah," Edward smirked wickedly. "And now that you know it is, in fact, me, what are you planning on doing with me?" he asked huskily, his cold hand brushing the apple of her warm cheek lightly.

Instinctively, Hermione leaned into the touch, yet tried to discreetly rub her thighs together so as not to attract the attention of the vampire beside her who's mere husky tone was eliciting some very naughty reactions from her.

Edward chuckled sinfully. "Not only can I see perfectly even in this darkness, I can smell you too, remember?" he said and placed a hand on one of her thighs, halting her incessant rubbing. Then running his hands over the sides of her denim-clad thighs, he whispered in her ear. "I'm right here, love. For anything and everything that you need from me, I'm right here to give it you..."

He trailed off at that bit and ran the tip of his nose over the side of the slender column of her neck, making her shiver. Then he peppered her throat with soft, light, barely-there butterfly kisses, slowly making his way towards her lips, all the while continuing to run his hand on her thigh, sensitizing her skin there.

Despite all her rebuttals, Hermione moaned deeply and then much to her embarrassment, yawned loudly.

"Oh God!" the muggle phrase escaped her lips, as she smacked her face with both her hands and hid behind them. While Edward stopped his ministrations and laid his forehead on her shoulder, shaking his head and chuckling yet again, though this time it was just that little bit mirthlessly.

"You need to sleep."

"I'm so sorry."

They both spoke together.

"It's alright. You're tired. I shouldn't be keeping you up," Edward replied, _as much as I want to..._ he added in his mind.

"Edward I..." Hermione started to say but quickly trailed off. "No, you're right. I really am tired and should be off to bed," she said instead and stood up.

"I'll give you anything you ask for if you just let me carry you till your bed," Edward offered, his tone hopeful.

Hermione giggled, placed a kiss on the top of his head, a rare feat, since he was much taller than her but right then she was standing and he was still sitting on the couch so she could manage it just fine and went ahead and did it without a second's pause, thought or hesitation.

"Good night, Edward," Hermione wished him and walked away.

"Dream of me, will you?" Edward said to her retreating back.

"As if he's left me any choice..." Hermione muttered under her breath and started her ascent up the stairs.

"Oh and Hermione..." Edward's voice halted her steps. "Remember I come with advance hearing too."

And she could swear she saw him wink as she was pretty sure he saw her blush. She ran up the steps and Edward hit his head on the couch after Hermione had disappeared in the hallway above.

"Now... if only I could return the favor..." He clucked his tongue but shut his eyes nonetheless, letting his imagination take him further if not his dreams...


	25. Chapter 25

AN: plz note the rating of this story has been bumped up to M!

Just FYI this isn't the M rated chapter...

Chapter 24:

It was a normal Tuesday morning for Hermione as she readied herself and Teddy to apparate to the Cullen's house. Well, as normal as it can get with the mighty Malfoys gracing her house every now and again Hermione thought snidely as she saw the door to Andromeda's room left ajar, meaning Narcissa was inside with her sister already.

Over the past month the Malfoys had turned out to be a great help to Hermione, and in so many more ways than one! Narcissa doted on her sister, setting her own life aside as she put her sister's well-being and comfort before herself. And Hermione hated to admit it, but Draco was really getting on so well with Teddy. He looked after the Malfoy business empire during the day, but made it a point to visit Teddy for at least five nights every week, uncaring of how tired he felt or how pressing his next day was going to be. Not just that too, after the initial awkwardness was brushed aside, with a lot of help Alice who had almost babysat the duo in the beginning so they wouldn't come to blows again, Draco had turned to be a great support for Hermione, helping her prepare for her NEWTs.

With all the help she was getting from Narcissa and Rosalie, both of whom were thoroughly enjoying their own charges, Hermione was better placed to look out for herself, for once. She went to Forks High during the day, met Rosalie post school at the Cullen home where she did some light revision and sat with the other school goers as they all quickly finished their homework, the study tasks not particularly difficult for anyone in the group being a complete novelty for Hermione.

Then she brought Teddy back home with her, played with him for a couple of hours, introducing minor educational vocabulary for his thirsty mind. Later, usually Draco would get home and he would take over Teddy while she cooked. It had taken some effort on her part, but seeing just how much Draco wanted to be a part of his late cousin's son's life, Hermione had started sharing Teddy with him too. They'd started small, like she let Draco have some play time with the little boy, but slowly, the persistent ex-Slytherin had slyly slithered into their lives and the next thing Hermione knew was that Draco had taken up Teddy's evening bathing duties and was getting him ready for bed every night that he was there, while both, Draco and her entertained the baby as they fed him dinner together.

Really, a little child can break through the toughest of walls and get together the worst of enemies with just one smile.

After Teddy slept, Draco would hang back for an hour or so helping her revise for her NEWTs and then he'd pop out. And since he was doing so much for them, Hermione had started asking him to stay back for dinner. She wasn't too fond of eating alone anyway and since he too was usually too tired to go back and cook, she reasoned, she just cooked for them both. The fact that he probably had his food all prepared and laid out for him by his house-elves not once crossing her mind.

Most evenings, when Andromeda was in the hospital with Narcissa as her most unwavering attendant, just as Draco and Hermione would wrap up after dinner, they'd be joined by some Cullen or another, if not them all and they'd all simply sit and catch up, talking non-sense most of the time. An hour or so later, the guests would all leave and Hermione would make her way to her bed.

When Andromeda was around, the Cullens cut down on their visits, not wishing to disturb the ailing witch. But those evening where Hermione found herself with only the Malfoy matriarch and the now family head for company, she realized weren't as bad as she'd thought they'd be.

I'm getting used to having them around. They've become family, Hermione smiled to herself, shaking her head as she further pushed open the door to Andromeda's room.

"Good Morning, Cissa, may I get you a cup of tea?" Hermione smiled in welcome at the guest that had no qualms about letting herself into her house at all odd hours. Thank Merlin, Draco at least stuck to that bit of chivalry, he always apparated outside her home and rang the bell to be let in.

"No, dear, thank you. I shall breakfast with Andy once she wakes. Though," Narcissa Malfoy said, getting up from her place near the sickbed, "I would love to kiss the little baby a very good morning," she smiled and cooed at the baby in Hermione's arms, playing with Teddy while Hermione fixed herself some breakfast.

Bidding her goodbyes, Hermione then apparated Teddy and herself out.

Rose again was at the ready to take the wailing baby from the 'wicked witch's' arms! "Did the wicked witch make my baby cry again?" Rose whispered tenderly, kissing Teddy on his forehead, the brightness of her smile rivalling the sun's early rays.

"He's started hating side-long," Hermione grimaced when Rosalie yet again scowled at her angrily for making Teddy cry.

"Can't blame him," Jasper clucked. "We all hate it."

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him in response.

"Ready to leave?" Edward chuckled from behind Jasper.

"Mione's gonna take a minute.. or more.." Alice winked at her family.

"What do you mean? I'm all ready," Hermione eyed the pixie vamp curiously.

But before Alice could answer her question, a tell-tale crack sounded from right beside Hermione and she jumped back in alarm, Edward moving swiftly beside her to break her fall within the tiniest fraction of a second.

"Ron!" Hermione stared at her best friend's ashen face. "What happened?"

Alice bit her lip in to keep from laughing and when Edward saw in her head what the drama was about, he shook his head and slipped his car keys back in his jean pocket. They were not gonna leave for school for quite some time now.

"I did something careless, selfish and stupid," Ron confessed in a single breath, his eyes searching Hermione's for any kind of support, something his other best friend hadn't provided at all!

"What?" Hermione asked worriedly, stepping closer to him to offer him support, just as another crack sounded from behind Ron.

"He did Pansy Parkinson!" the messy haired, green eyed wizard said from behind the ginger haired one, trying his level best to stop from rolling on the mud with laughter.

Of their own accord Hermione's hands flew to her mouth, covering the big 'o' it had fallen into. Oh dear!

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"You can't be serious," Hermione stared at one of her best friends. His shoulders hunched, elbows on his knees and head in his hand, covering his face. Harry was sat beside Ron on the couch while Hermione took the spot on the center-table in front of Ron. The vampires were all around, enjoying the new drama unfolding between the wizarding trio.

Unable to hold back her hospitality, Esme asked her unexpected guests if they'd like a bite, and surprisingly Ron was the first one to deny the offer. Hermione stared at him and then at Harry with wide eyes, both surprised and finally understanding their best friend's emotional state. When does Ron ever refuse food? Never, that's when!

"Really Ron, Pansy? How did this even happen?" Hermione asked, finding it difficult to hide her shock, not that was trying too hard.

Ron groaned, as if in pain, finally coming out of hiding. "It was a masquerade party. I didn't know who she was, only that she looked beautiful in her black robes, her eyes all green and hair in that new messy hair style that makes girls look really sexy..." he trailed off to the knowing nods from all the men around. He winced. "Is there no place we can do this without the audience?"

"Hey, you live with the vamps, you bid goodbye to privacy," Hermione smirked, enjoying his discomfort, the way she would've had it been Harry in his place. It was a miracle what a little distance could do to bleeding hearts.

"Gah!" Ron pulled at his shaggy ginger mane that looked thoroughly mussed with the 'just fucked' bed look.

Edward chuckled loudly, getting the trio out of their reverie. "What?" Hermione raised her eyebrow at him. What was he laughing about? He doesn't know Pansy, does he?

"Rosalie has an.. interesting.. comment to make," Edward cleared his throat, looking expectantly at Rosalie with a wicked smirk.

"Oh come on, throw me under bus, why don't you?" she snarled in return. "Like none of you made that observation."

"What observation would that be?" Hermione asked curiously.

"He is describing the female version of Harry! Black robes, messy hair, green eyes! Come on, can no one else see this?"

All eyes turned to Harry who indeed was wearing a dashing black robe, his green eyes glassy with embarrassment and inebriation, his hair as usual mussed and messy. Then their eyes turned to the non-existent distance between the two wizards before the said wizards jumped away from each other with a loud scream.

"I most certainly am not!"

"And I have my own ginger waiting for me back home!"

"Of course you do," Rose smirked knowingly.

"A girl, Rose... my own ginger-haired GIRL!" Harry exclaimed loudly to put his point across.

Everyone else, bar the two wizards laughed at their obvious discomfort.

Finally schooling her mirth, Hermione turned to Ron again. "Pansy? Really, Ron? You do remember..."

"That she wanted to hand Harry over to Voldemort not six months back? That she's hated my family and my guts even before we met her in the potions class back in the first year? That she's the pug- faced slut of Slytherin? I remember it all, Mione!"

Hermione scowled at the last bit. "Big words coming from the guy who lost his virginity to the Gryffindor slag!"

"You were a slag back in your school?" Emmett asked with a funny expression, not being able to put Hermione and sultriness in one sentence somehow.

Most present growled at him. One louder than the rest. "No, you idiot! He slept with the in-house whore. While we," she pointed between herself and Ron, "never dated long enough to reach that stage in the relationship."

"And whose fault was that?" Ron asked scowling.

"Don't start now, Ron. One problem at a time is enough," Hermione narrowed her eyes in warning at him.

That slouched his posture and doused his anger. "What am I gonna do?" "I think you've already done enough," Harry smirked.

"You didn't answer my question. How did it happen?" Hermione scowled at Harry while directing her question at Ron.

"I told you, it was a masquerade party. She looked pretty behind her mask and even came on to me. We danced and there was a lot of firewhisky. Next thing I knew, I was in a room, and we... well.. yeah, that. We kept the masks on, it was adding a certain thrill to the whole thing, you know, not knowing who I was doing and all. And then she slept and I was curious so I removed her mask and then all hell broke loose."

"What did she say when she found out?" Jasper asked, intrigued with the story so far.

"She didn't. Well, I mean.. I apparated out before she woke up and then dragged Harry away from Gin and here we are..."

"You just shagged Pansy? Like... like just now?" Ron nodded. "And you're half a world away from her! You stupid, selfish, arrogant, prejudiced, rat-bastard!" Hermione yelled, losing her lid.

"Told you coming here was a bad idea!" Harry murmured.

"You were useless! I thought she might have something useful to share!" Ron stood up in his agitation. "Why did I even bother?" he grumbled taking a step to leave.

"If I may offer some advice?" Edward asked softly, eyes set on the trio. Hermione looked alright with the new development in Ron's life and Ron was her best friend, he wanted them to accept him as her mate because he knew they meant a lot to Hermione, so he'd take the first few steps to forge a friendship, he decided.

"Literally, anything's better than the crap my two best friends have come up with.." Ron encouraged him to go on while throwing nasty glares at his supposed friends. He really was confused and desperate, he'd grab at any straws.

Edward nodded with a sly smirk. "But before I answer that, tell me, do you want to take it ahead or not?"

Ron considered his answer, and with colour badly staining his entire face he stuttered looking solely at Edward, pointedly avoiding all the female eyes in the room, "She was quite a good... lay.." he blurted stammering.

Hermione groaned loudly and stomped her foot in agitation. "That's not a respectful way to speak of a lady, Ron."

"Well, the other things I know about her aren't worthy of boasting, now, are they?" he asked her angrily.

Edward cut in between them. "Meaning, you wouldn't mind seeing her again?" Ron sheepishly nodded. Edward's grin widened.

"Then pray to all your Gods that she's still asleep. Go back to her, put both your masks on and go off to sleep beside her. When she wakes up, curiosity will get her too and she'll see for herself who's under the mask and then it'll be her choice."

"That's just..."

"You're a genius!" Ron's face lit up. "At least it won't be awkward or come to blows that way."

"One can only hope..." Harry sassed.

"...sly! You're just like a Slytherin!" Hermione completed in shock, her finger pointing accusingly at Edward.

"Seeing as Pansy was one, it might actually work," Harry shrugged. "She might still hex you!" Hermione warned.

"Now, all you have to decide is if she's worthy of the risk? Was she really that good?" Emmett asked, smirking.

"Well... yes, I guess she is..." Ron's entire face went red at that admission.

"You're seriously trying to tell me that Parkinson is that good a lay that you'd take hexing for her?" Harry asked astounded.

"Yeah.. well.." "How?"... "Why?"

"Because... I had sex with her and she let me!" Ron finally mumbled and Hermione groaned loudly, shutting her ears off and pulling at her hair simultaneously.

"What is the world coming to?" she grumbled while Rose tried sliding out with Teddy. There are some things young ears really shouldn't hear!

"On that note, all my pleasant buzz is successfully gone, along with my sex-drive. So I'll take your leave," Harry nodded at everyone, hugged Hermione and gestured for Rose to stop before she could glide off with Teddy.

Kissing him on his cheek, he smiled, "You keep yourself and your god-mommy ready over the weekend, I'll swing by early in the morning and then take you two out for a trip. Be ready and stay safe till then, okay little one?" he said to small gurgling bundle and handed him back to Rose with one more kiss.

"I'm leaving. Merlin knows, I don't need Ginny thinking I'm off gallivanting somewhere behind her back. She hexes real mean," he shook his head while rubbing at his nose. "Mione, stay packed. I'm not taking no for answer. I'll floo over and take you two out for the week. Carlisle's agreed to hand in a doctor's letter for you to the school. So, be ready and keep a cup of tea brewing for me, will you," he said as a parting shot and apparated away just outside the door.

"I best leave too. Let's just hope I catch her asleep," Ron took his leave too. "Let us know how it goes," Edward called behind Ron.

"Either ways," Emmett added.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"You sly bastard! That was your advice?" Hermione whispered angrily to Edward in their Latin class.

Over the past month, the dynamics of Hermione's relationship with the copper-haired vampire had changed too. She tended to rely on him most, actively seeking his company, something he was more than willing to share with her.

The day Edward realized Hermione hated eating alone, he made it a point to stop by early on the nights Draco didn't pop in. He had even happily taken up Draco's evening duties of Teddy and then he would sit beside her talking after they put Teddy to bed.

Edward would also linger after everyone left, most of the time just to get a few minutes alone with her. They hadn't really done anything more than catch a movie on the telly over a free weekend or touch each other platonically, but his touches had started meaning more to Hermione who had rapidly increased the frequency with which she sought his hands and knees out.

She wasn't sure what exactly was happening but this slow burning relationship (if you could call it that) of theirs was really pushing her forward, towards him, making her almost lose her grasp on her senses as she found herself falling for him just that much more every day.

I mean, how could I not! Hermione wondered sometimes. He still made sure to get her a bar of chocolate every day. He had an almost eidetic memory and could quote verses of most books he'd read, verbatim. He played the piano well enough to have her melting into a puddle by his feet, sometimes composing original pieces and dedicating them to her. He always put her first, even delaying his own hunts just so he could be with her for those precious few minutes extra. That one time Draco had found out about her not knowing driving despite being a muggle-born, and teased her mercilessly about it, Edward had had Carlisle draw up her papers, taught her how to drive in his Silver Volvo and made sure she was good enough to appear for her driving tests within one short week. Besides all of that, to top it all up, he was the epitome of a gentleman with her, had eyes only for her, flirted with her relentlessly - arousing curious responses every single time and could the guy cook!!!

But despite it all, she still found herself holding back. She knew he was only waiting for one small move from her but she couldn't bring herself to make that move just yet.

"You're one to talk! When were you going to tell me about going away for a week?" he replied equally angry.

That shut her up, reeling in her wayward thoughts immediately.

"Do you not understand that I need to be near you? That I need to touch you, need to make sure you're fine.. I can't.. I just can't stay away.."

"I needed some time to think. Everything's happening too fast. You've just come out of an extremely serious relationship, not two months back. Hell! I've only recently moved ahead of my own break- up. I can't do it all, not this way."

"Why so ever not? Can you not see my love, my devotion for you?"

"Don't rub me the wrong way now, Edward. Stop before I say things we'll both repent."

"No!" Edward shook his head. "I've had enough of your avoiding the bigger issues. What is it? Why the un-surety? What is bothering you?"

"What if you leave me like you did her?" Hermione finally snapped. "You promised her your love, you promised to stay with her forever... literally for-ever! And look where that's gotten the both of you! I don't want to be in that place! What if you leave me too, when someone else comes along?"

Hermione quickly averted her gaze, shielding her eyes with her lids, refusing to shed the stupid tears that had found their way to her eyes.

Edward stared at the witch beside him. You've got to be kidding me! "Here I am, going crazy over you, ditching my only friend, the only human who's ever accepted me for what I truly am, trying everything I possibly can to spend as much time with you as you'd let me, and you don't even trust me enough to know that what I'm saying is true. There's no way I can prove this to you, short of taking you to Lord Marcus, to let him check for our bond."

"Edward... I didn't mean..."

"You know what, Hermione... Save it. I'm done convincing you. Now, you come to me when you think you're ready to accept this bond between us."

With the first buzz of the bell, he was gone, putting as much distance between them as he could.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 25:**

 _I'm such a dick-head!_ Sitting on Hermione's couch Edward was thoroughly chastising himself. His _siblings_ not ones to shut up either.

They were there to welcome Hermione back after her week-long holiday with Harry. He was happy he'd be seeing her soon, but he was annoyed about the mess he'd made of the already stressed situation that was his not-quite-a-relationship-yet with Hermione. _God grant me strength_ , for he was sure only the ultimate powers could now save him from his little witch's wrath.

'You're so stupid!' Alice said straight in his head.

'You heartless moron!' That was Rosalie.

"I know what I did was wrong, okay? There's no need to broadcast your thoughts at me, too!"

"We aren't trying to!" Jasper snickered.

"You just refuse to mind your own business!" Emmett sniggered.

"Not that I can complaint. The one time he did mind his own business, he landed up in this!" Jasper said again.

"Tell me again how you let Bella convince you to take her to the ball. It keeps getting funnier every time you repeat the story." Emmett stood up to high-five Jasper.

Edward had been really angry with Hermione after their fight and as luck would have it, a Christmas Ball had been announced at school. And of course, Hermione had left just that day to spend an entire f*ing week with Harry!

In his utter madness, when Bella had approached him and asked him out for the ball, he'd agreed. Of course, when he'd read the notice about the ball, he'd only thought of Hermione but then she wasn't there and he wasn't sure of anything between them and during all his confusion, Bella had come to him asking him to accompany her to the ball. 'For old times' sake,' she'd tried but when he'd looked at her unsurely, she'd blackmailed him with their friendship. And that had been the sore point! _She was out for a full week with her friend, wasn't she?_ So why couldn't he just attend a dance with his? Fair's fair after all…

 _Plus, this had an added advantage,_ he reasoned in his mind, (which he later agreed wasn't the best place to go for advice next time!) _going with Bella would undoubtedly get Hermione jealous and may be that would be the push she needed to realize what they truly had?_

Edward distinctly remembered the time Hermione had told him about her patented hex and her jealous episode with Ron, and if it was a hex that he had to take to help her realize what was in front of her all this while, well he'd take it. He was indestructible after all, how long would it take to put his pieces back together after Hermione was through with him? Carlisle was a good doctor, he sure could make him as good as new in a jiff. And then Hermione would know what he was sure was in her heart anyway and they could finally be together.

So, he did the unthinkable. Without any thought of anything else, Edward immediately thought of his mate who was right then out gallivanting God knew where with her own best friend, Edward agreed. 'As friends' he'd stressed to Bella but she'd skipped out so happily, he wasn't sure if she'd heard him at all!

'Hermione's gonna rip your limbs apart and set you on fire when she finds out!' Alice again spoke straight in his head.

"She's only gone for a week and you're back with Bella! That's just fickle, _Eddie_! And exactly why she won't go out with you in the first place." Rosalie did nothing to disguise her ill feelings.

The truth of that last statement finally snapped Edward's cool. "ENOUGH!" Edward roared angrily. "I'm not cheating on Hermione! Not to mention, there's nothing to cheat there, because the stubborn woman just won't go out with me! And it's not for my lack of trying either. Also, Bella only asked me out as a friend because all her other friends are coupled up and she thought she'll be left alone. It's only a favor that I'm doing for an old friend! There's nothing more to it."

"Of course!" Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Why would we even think otherwise? I mean the stupid girl only wanted to give up her humanity for you and when you found your true mate she threatened you about the change and then said she'd simply wait for your mate to die to be with you again, for all of eternity, mind you. Of course, she doesn't want to be _only_ _friends_ , you idiot! Anyone can tell you that!"

"Shit! I fucked up so bad!" Edward hung his head in his hands. "She'll kill me when she gets back and she wouldn't be wrong in wanting me dead."

"Who wants you dead?" Hermione asked, smiling pleasantly from the doorway.

Harry was standing beside her, Teddy wrapped cozily in his arms.

"Hermione!" Emmett was the first one greet her, answering her question with that one word too…

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"How was your holiday, sweetie?" Rosalie asked the trio and almost tore Teddy off Harry's arms.

"Where did you go?" asked Alice curiously. Edward had kept her very busy to check on Hermione even once.

"You don't know?" Hermione asked teasingly.

"To my place in Godric's Hollow. We stayed there for a few days, cleaning it up, sorting through stuff and all, then a day at the Burrow."

"We capped it with a couple of days in Paris. It was really nice," Hermione finished.

"Ooh! Paris!" Alice clapped her hands excitedly. "I love that place."

"Me too," Hermione agreed. "But going there with a guy you aren't dating while towing a baby between you two is bad. The Parisians just didn't let up! They're so… _boisterous_."

"Then why did you go to the most romantic place on earth with _him_?" Edward asked, furious to have learned her holiday destination. With a guy no less!

Harry stared at Edward for a brief second, then said smiling fondly at Hermione, "Once, while we were on the run, she was so dejected, she looked around the forest we were camped at and asked me to just stay back there, said we should both grow old there together. I promised her then that if she moved on with me, I'd take her to Paris after it was all over. I just kept my promise."

"What were you guys on about when we came?" Hermione asked, making herself comfortable and summoning bags of tea, sugar and her tea set from the kitchen as she plopped down on the sofa.

Harry sat down beside her and accioed the sweets Hermione had picked out for their friends. A few boxes of blood pops flew out of his rucksack. He sorted through them all and found the one he was looking for, handing it to Emmett.

"Before I forget, these are for you guys. Blood pops. Try and let me know if like these. These are from the magical district of Paris, but we have chocolatiers closer home that sell these too."

And with that the tea party began. Hermione quickly losing her color and appetite when she'd heard all that had conspired since her absence. She awarded Edward with just one look after it all, but quickly looked away. "I… I'm glad you're catching up with your friend," she tried wanly to smile at him, failed miserably and then excused herself to unpack her bag.

Edward barely heard her speak, the hurt in her eyes before she looked away was enough to rake him with guilt, painfully twisting a knife embedded deep in his diamond-hard heart when he saw her quickly shuffling away from the room, away from them all.

Away from him…


	27. Chapter 27

**AN:** Fair warning ... This is the M rated chapter.

 **Chapter 26:**

The few days leading up to the ball was sheer agony for both Hermione and Edward.

Harry hadn't voiced any of the questions she'd seen in his eyes but Draco had driven her spare! When he'd learnt the story from Rosalie of all people, he'd almost apparated out to 'hex some sense into that git'. Hermione had barely managed to hold him back.

There was no need for any of it! She'd seen the regret, the apology, the sheer pain Edward was going through, in his eyes, even now after so many days, every time she chanced a glance at him he looked heavily guilt-ridden.

He was escorting Bella, more so now because Hermione had talked him out of bailing out from the commitment he made to his friend when he'd offered to do exactly that. But she knew his heart wasn't in it. She felt his displeasure just as she felt her own regret. If only she hadn't pushed him away the way she did…

Her friends though had somehow talked themselves into 'showing Edward what he was missing.'

Hermione didn't really want to, but Draco had bought her a dress, daring her to not wear it to see where it took her. But one look at the deep, dark, sensuous red silk one-piece and Hermione hadn't the heart to send it back. Alice and Rosalie and batted her hands away and painstakingly dolled her up. Harry had flooed in and taken Teddy over for the entire duration of his Christmas break, but only after whistling at her. Narcissa had Andromeda over for Christmas, both witches keen on re-creating their childhood memories this holiday season and so _Team Hermione_ had turned her house into a planing zone for some sort of a battle, Hermione had thought more than once while rolling her eyes at the odd trio that was Draco, Alice and Rosalie while she had resignedly sat beside them, thoroughly ignored by them all, most of the times.

Edward was to collect Bella from her place and meet them at the Ball. Draco had volunteered to escort her for the evening but she knew he had some previous arrangements with this brunette witch he had started seeing just a few weeks back and so Hermione refused to put a splinter in his plans, opting to take Jasper's other arm, having him escort both herself and Alice to the Ball.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The decorations were nothing compared to the Yule Ball back in her fourth year at Hogwarts, but for muggle standards they were pretty good. A rather large Christmas tree, thousands of festive lights, a light splattering of snow… it all just worked, Hermione decided, looking around the school campus with a small smile playing on her lips.

Despite having Bella clinging on his arm, Edward was only watching the entryway, waiting for this one particular girl who finally showed up on his adopted brother's arm, clearly knocking off all the breath from Edward's body. _Just as well I don't need any!_

She looked spectacular – _My lady in red…_ The bodice of her dress clung perfectly to her curves, the skirt falling just right after hugging her hips. Her red killer-heels accentuated her height and gave a more feminine twirl to her walk. The rather large slit on the side of her dress that gave small teasing glimpses of the creamy flesh of her long legs every now and then only heightened his awareness of her. _Oh dear Lord! Was that a… garter she was wearing?_ Edward pulled hard at the collar of his shirt, his fingers unthinkingly working on loosening his tie though he caught himself in time. Her hair was all done up in way he'd never seen her sport before but she carried it off just like she did every other part of her ensemble – with poise and grace. He long tresses were straightened out at her crown but fell in soft curls around her neck and shoulders, a few escaping tendrils of her soft mahogany curls artfully framing her face nonetheless. With that one look, Edward just knew it had to be one of his sisters that had done her hair, leaving it falling on and framing her long neck only to torture him with barely-there tantalizing glimpses of her slender column while he suddenly wanted nothing more than to have his mouth right there at the juncture where her neck met her shoulders and her wonderous pulse crowed out her heart's fascinating beats – one of the few ways her heart spoke to him. Her eyes looked smoky and her lips were painted blood red, immediately flooding Edward's mind with images of unspeakable things he wanted so badly to do _with_ and _to_ that sexy red pout.

 _Thoughts any well bred gentleman should not be having of any respectable lady_ , Edward chided himself in his mind.

Completely ignoring the presence beside him, Edward disengaged his arm from Bella's tight clutches and intently made his way towards Hermione.

But lady luck did not smiling down at him just yet. Before he could reach her, someone else had and the next thing he knew she was on the floor dancing with that guy, in his annoyance, he couldn't even place which one… Gritting his teeth in, Edward stood rooted to the spot, but Bella found him and he had no idea how she had him escorting her to the dance floor.

…

Edward wasn't even looking at her, not even fleetingly, his eyes glued to the girl who was dancing with Mike Newton of all boys, Bella harrumphed.

 _What was the point in dolling herself up, if her dashing prince wasn't even going to spare her a glance?_ They'd danced to a few songs already and yet Edward hadn't once looked down at her with those beautiful golden eyes of his, while the _unseemly object_ of his fascination was quite shamelessly dancing about with every guy that asked her and was right then even flirting, it seemed to Bella's biased eyes, with his very own brother!

"Edward, do you think we could…" she started to say but shut up when she found he didn't even bother listening to her. Just then from the periphery of her vision she caught sight of something loudly red fluttering towards the exit. _Thank God!_

"I need to go," Edward said, again without sparing her a glance as he followed the witch out.

Bella could swear she heard her heart breaking with every step Edward took towards the exit, willing him to turn around and come back to her, but she stood there hopelessly and watched him walk away towards someone else.

At the last possible minute though, she turned rubbed her eyes furiously and traced Edward's steps.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Aren't you tired of those heels?" Edward asked as he made his way to the well-lit courtyard where Hermione was sitting alone under a tree, swinging her legs. "I have caught a thought from every girl in there that theirs are positively killing them."

He looked sinful Hermione noted yet again, formal dressing really did men good. The twinkling fairy lights lent a golden glow to his copper hair and his eyes seemed much lighter under the muted tones illuminating the garden. Edward crossed the small distance between them and knelt in front of her, taking each of her feet in his hands, one by one, as he removed her pinching footwear.

Hermione gulped when Edward looked up at her, her mouth going dry when his face came almost at eye-level with hers bringing his lips tantalizingly close.

"Where's your date?" she asked, trying hard to break the tension in the air around them.

"You look beautiful, darling," Edward whispered to her at the same time.

But Edward shook his head to respond to Hermione's question immediately. "I don't know, and I don't care. You're all the matters, Hermione, and I'm sorry for ever making you think otherwise." He held her face between his hands. "I'm sorry you had go through this tonight. I beg of you, darling, just give me one more chance and I'll prove it to you that we're meant to be. I know I'm hot-headed and do tend to over-react sometimes, but give me a chance and I'll work on it," he added.

"It's ok. Everyone has their flaws. It's something I'll just have to get used to, I guess…" she trailed off seeing the sincere apology and renewed hope shining in his amber eyes. "I can't say I have the sweetest of tempers," Hermione offered him smilingly.

"Something for me to spend all of eternity working around," he whispered back.

Hermione chuckled, "No, but honestly, Edward, had I not over-thought, over-analyzed everything.. I shouldn't have pushed you away like that. Saying those things about your past… I had no right. I truly am sorry."

Edward shook his head. "No. You were right in questioning my motives. The suddenness of it all does look a little fishy," he conceded.

"A little," she accepted, a dimple showing off her playfulness.

"Dance with me," Edward said abruptly, holding out his hand for her to take.

Hermione's eyes skittered between his and a beautiful smile lit up her face. She nodded. "Let me just wear my shoes."

He shook his head again. "Step on my feet," he said instead, pulling her to her feet, slightly picking her up and settling her on his own shoe-clad feet.

"Just because you're near-indestructible, doesn't mean you have to do all the heavy weight lifting," Hermione giggled when he started twirling them around.

In answer, he pulled her just that teeny bit closer. "Hmm.. I could get used to this," he said, deeply inhaling her heavenly scent.

"Lugging me around?"

He clucked, "You, bare footed, in my arms."

Hermione craned her neck to look up at Edward just as he bent his down. She stretched her neck and her eyelids dropped half-way. Edward watched her, _she really does look beautiful tonight,_ he thought, _well, more so than usual,_ he added, as a hum of contentment buzzed inside him. He closed the last few inches separating them and brushed his cold lips across her warm ones. Once. Twice. Thrice. He swiped his lips on hers before adding pressure to them and molding hers to his.

He simply enjoyed the feel of her lips moving on his, until he felt her sucking on his bottom lip. He groaned and brought her closer, lifting her off her feet to compensate for their height difference. His hand found its way into her hair before he angled her face just right to deepen the kiss. Hermione clutched at Edward's shoulders to hold still, not wanting to miss a single moment of being with him right then.

He swiped at the seam of her lips to make her open that delectable mouth of hers and she hummed in anticipation as he pushed his tongue in.

Having a vampire kissing you could be erotic on so many levels, was something Hermione had never really pondered upon, but now that she was pressed intimately against one who was driving her crazy with his slow, exploring kisses, she could vouch for it!

There was something to be said about having Edward's icy figure pushed against her warm body, that made certain parts of hers quiver with something quite different to mere cold at his proximity. _No wonder the vampires were coveted as the most sensual beings to walk on the planet._

With an inhuman effort, Edward managed to pull himself away from Hermione's responsive mouth, if only to let her breathe for a few short seconds before he attacked her lips again.

"There's no one else, nor will there be any after you," Edward said just before he dipped his head and took her lips again.

Hermione's keening mewls of pleasure did strange things to his un-beating heart and he could swear he'd died and gone to heaven when she broke their kiss and shyly asked, "Just bare foot… nothing else?" It took him a moment to understand her, but the passion in her fiery eyes was a dead give-away.

Unable to think of anything after that telling statement, Edward had her in his arms, picked up like a new bride as he ran all the way to her house, a blur of white that the few humans scattered around the small sleepy town couldn't really perceive.

Hermione would've laughed when he had her pressed against the door of her house within not six minutes of their departure from the school, but Edward was back to silencing her with his mouth and he was doing a damn fine job of it too!

Eliciting moans louder than the previous ones, "Stop me," Edward groaned lustfully, his head buried in the curve of Hermione's neck as he kissed it repeatedly while she drew in a few quick breaths. "Stop me now, if you don't want this. I'm not sure if I'll be able to stop myself later."

"I made my decision long before we got here, Edward," was all Hermione said as she spelled the door behind her to open and pulled Edward inside with her by tugging lightly on his tie and he made sure to kick the door firmly shut behind him.

Thanking his stars that Narcissa had Andromeda while Teddy was safely away with his godfather on a whole different continent, Edward shrugged out of his coat, kicked his shoes away while unbuttoning his cuffs as he trailed his lustful eyes heatedly over Hermione's tiny form.

She looked radiant, _really she does._ And seeing her there, as she was, he knew he'd always be partial to red for her. It really was her color – bold and beautiful, just like his mate. He smirked crookedly and rushed forward to her at vampire speed, crashing their lips together all over again, knowing he never wanted to be away from her ever again. He was pretty sure all of eternity was also not going to be enough time for him to get enough of her kisses. _Or her loving_ he thought, nipping her lower lip and pulling at it as he left her mouth after long minutes again.

He pulled his head back then, watching her intently right in her darkened eyes. "Let's start with your bed before we move all over the house," he whispered huskily in her ear and yielded happily when she pulled at his arms and led him up the stairs to her room.

He'd never seen her room before that night, the situation had never really arisen and now that he was in it, nothing of the room registered in his mind. He had his eyes glued on someone far too alluring to pull away his gaze from.

"You're too dressed," he smirked lazily at her, and tugged her down on her bed, settling her on his lap, pulling at her zipper simultaneously.

"And you aren't?" Hermione challenged between his hot kisses.

He chuckled and pulled her dress off her, pushing her on the bed at the same time. "What?! No underwear?" he gawked, mouth open, when he saw exactly all that he had unwittingly unwrapped.

"The cut of the dress didn't allow for it," Hermione smiled coyly.

"Ahh," Edward gave a strangled groan seeing her spread on her bed, sporting nothing but a too-red garter and a blood red lipstick. He had no idea when or where he'd tossed away the pins holding her hair's puff, but just then all her riotous curls were back and falling down her back, a few even flying over her face, and he just knew he'd never see a sight more sensuous than that. He quickly got off the bed and rid himself of all his clothes, all in a matter of quick seconds.

"Is _this_ good enough for you, darling?" Edward answered her challenge and laughed heartily on seeing Hermione's entire body flush a violent red when he caught her staring. "What? I thought you wanted me naked. Did I misunderstand you?" he teased his blushing witch.

 _WOW!_ was Hermione's first thought when she saw an absolutely naked Edward taking human paced steps towards her. _There's some truth behind that vampire's body allure after all,_ she conceded, on seeing a body _like that_ naked, she was pretty sure no human could or even want to hold back.

Edward noticed the further darkening of Hermione's irises as he crawled his big form on top of hers, flattening himself on her as he bent down to truly make her his.

How far he'd come from that guy of the last century who only ever held back with Bella to the one who was unable to control his primitive impulses when he was around Hermione, he tsked in his head. He now finally understood why Emmett and Rosalie were constantly found at the oddest of places and why Alice and Jasper kept disappearing together for long hours. It was something quite innate, a push from inside of him, he could feel it, that made him move towards Hermione, to give her all she wanted and take from her all he needed.

He was worried about hurting her, of course he was, but something inside of him soothed him and he just knew that he couldn't hurt her, not now, not ever.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Hermione asked, rubbing his cheek as he leaned into her touch.

"Just that I'm really lucky to have found you. I never realized what I'd been missing, until now. I don't know what made you drop into my life like you did, but I know you came all this far just for me, to make my soulless life happy, to complete me in every way."

"Well, I have a theory," Hermione started rambling in her nervousness, "I think Sirius might actually be related to Jacob Black's family. I've discussed it with Narcissa and she said she'd look into it… It's only explanation I've come up with for the picture of that meadow to be in his library…. You know, I one where we first m…."

"Hermione…" Edward started, she hummed in reply. "Now's a good time to shut up, my love," he said and sealed her mouth with his again, driving all thoughts of everyone else away from her mind.

A light splattering of color gave up Hermione's inner thoughts after Edward pulled away to let her catch her breath, but neither spoke, both getting busy as they explored each other, experimented with each other and yes, pleasured each other.

When the time came, Edward entered her carefully. He felt his canines growing just as he aligned himself with her but he tried his level best to hold them back, to gulp down the venom that was flooding his mouth, but he couldn't keep his natural instincts away, despite his fight against them.

And so he lost.

But when he claimed her with his prolonged wild movements and marked her as his for all of eternity, he knew it was an internal battle he was better off losing.

Because he'd finally won her.

She was his from now on.

Till the end of forever.

He alone had the right to hold her, kiss her and love her.

For each and every day of forever.

And now, no one could take her away from him. Never again.

"Now, if only you change quickly for me, and make me yours too, all of my eternity would be perfect, Miss. Granger," Edward whispered huskily in her ear, not for a second ceasing his erotic movements.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

When Edward flattened his solid body on her pliable one, Hermione knew she was doomed. This night was going to change everything about her and she was sure of it.

Between his soft kisses, his sensual caresses, his bolder touches, she could feel a war waging inside of him, but she never found her breath to ask him about it. But when he broke her in, in more ways than one, with his teeth sinking in the tender flesh at the curve of her neck at that exact moment as he ripped her innocence apart, _she_ _knew_.

She knew he'd been trying to fight his impulses to make it easier for her, and that act only clinched it all for Hermione.

 _He truly does love me._

And that realization made everything happening between them that much perfect for her.

She couldn't and didn't deny that she did not feel fear when Edward broke her skin. What sane person wouldn't, when they had a vampire latched to their artery?! But the minute his venom invaded her system, she felt her magic surge in acceptance. Wave after wave of pleasure launched and crashed inside her, as her magic and _his_ , melded as one all around them, making every single stroke of his that much more pronounced for her.

She didn't know if he was feeling the exact same thing as her, but she just knew he was feeling something very similar when she looked at his eyes but found them closed in reverence before he opened them, caught her eyes, gripped her bedding and impaled her. Hard and unyieldingly. Repeatedly. Never once losing eye contact.

"My mate," he said hoarsely, and she just knew his voice was thicker and baser because of his animal instincts that were very much in play just then. "You're mine and I'm yours, for all of eternity," he declared and ploughed on, his movements later turning jerky and wildly erratic.

Hermione gazed deeply into his darkened eyes and whispered the words she had held back for so long. "I love you."

That stilled Edward, turning into a marble statue of some Adonis right on top of her and then he flashed her his most blinding smile. "Say it again," he grunted and waited till she did.

"I love you, Edward," Hermione whispered to him again without missing a beat, her fingers locked at his nape as he quickly bent his head to kiss her softly.

"Again," he demanded, barely moving his mouth away from hers.

"I love you," she smiled, her lips curling in amusement at his wanton behavior.

"Again. Keep saying it."

And she repeated herself over and over again while Edward picked up from where he'd left and thrust in harder, quickening his pace as he held the love of his undying life in his arms and kept up his rhythm, promising to himself to take her to the pinnacle of pleasure many times over before letting himself go.

He kept his promise. He had her coming and screaming long before he let go of himself. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear those three little words from you," he smiled at Hermione as she lay spent and tired, wrapped in his cold arms, shivering but refusing to move out.

"Sweaty body and your hugs… not a good combination," Hermione said between chattering teeth. Summoning her wand, she placed a warming spell on them both.

"Is it better now?" Edward asked her, arms still wrapped possessively around her petite form, cocooning her in them protectively. Hermione nodded. "Good," he sighed, "Because covering your naked, sweaty body with my equally naked albeit cold one is definitely something I'm planning on doing a lot more than you think."

"Really?" Hermione bit her lip teasingly.

Edward took the challenge and bit the same spot before speaking. "Tease me again, love, and you won't get any sleep tonight. Just remember, I don't need sleep nor do I get tired. _I_ can literally be at _it_ for hours if not days, so choose your acts carefully, darling."

Hermione giggled, "That's a handy piece of information to have," she said and burrowed her face in Edward's chest to get comfortable as she closed her eyes for the night.

And Edward, for his part, silently spent the whole night watching his beloved sleep peacefully, contentment settling inside him as he felt his frozen heart, warming.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

In a world of their own, separated by just a few miles, a brunette walked to the tree, settling herself on the same spot Hermione had vacated not long back. She slipped off her five inches high heels, wondering what on earth, she – an accident prone – was doing even wearing them, though she knew the answer. She hadn't minded falling, for she had thought she'd have Edward by her side and he would most certainly catch her and so she hadn't cared, her only intention being to look good for the one boy who had taken her fancy and stolen her heart.

She gingerly lifted her foot and placed it in the abandoned red heels, snorting when they didn't fit. _Of course they won't fit you!_ her inner conscience jeered at her. _You aren't the belle of the ball or the princess that rides into the sunset with her prince._

No. She was just a girl.

Only a normal, mortal girl.

A girl who was promised the world by her own Prince Charming to only have a Wicked Witch assail her prince and take him away.

Bella bent down, plucked the red heels off the ground and threw them away with all her might, as if they were torturing her. And she screamed! Loud, guttural screams of agony, sobs of all her anguish tore from her mouth as she howled in her pain and folded on herself, falling off the ledge onto the hard ground - sobbing and screaming.

Nothing was ever going to be right again…

Not in her world…

She had never been afraid of dying and now, she wished, death would come to her aid, like an old, trusted friend and take her away…


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 27:**

The fabled morning after dawned and Hermione woke up to a big plate of fried bacon, pancakes topped with syrup and berries, a glass of orange juice and a steaming cup of tea by her bedside, laid loving on the side table along with a long-stemmed red rose that miraculously had no thorns on it.

"I heard your breathing change, so I put together a small breakfast for you."

Hermione eyed the laden plate sleepily. " _Small_ wasn't the word I was gonna use…" she whispered in her sleep-roughened voice and stretched her arms over head as she kicked at her blanket, inadvertently getting it to fall till her waist.

Edward's eyes dropped with the falling blanket and then moved up her exposed body. His gaze skimmed over her scars and he clenched his fists. He'd counted them all when she had twisted and turned in his arms all through the night. Then he'd kissed all twenty seven of them, waking her up in the process. Then he'd proceeded to make sweet, slow love to her and held her close until she'd fallen asleep in his arms again, before thinking of the twenty seven scars that matted her body.

Only then did he think of the twenty seven times she'd been hurt so bad that she bore the marks to show for the pain she'd undergone.

Only then did he let himself rationalize the scary thought that there were not one, not two but twenty seven times that someone had come close enough to hurt her.

That there were at least twenty seven fucking times that he'd almost lost her, even before having her at all…

He had thought about those twenty seven times all through the night and was sure he'd gotten his emotions under control but one look at them in the light of the morning and he was ready to kill those twenty seven people right then.

Hermione stilled as the blanket fell off her shoulders and Edward's eyes fell on her very naked body. Then she saw Edward's eyes fixating on her scarred torso and froze for a whole new reason. _He doesn't like it…_ she realized and moved to hide her body from his penetrative gaze.

Last night, they were both too consumed with their passion to think of anything more than the feel of their skins rubbing against each other or the way their bodies slid and fit the other's. But now, in the light of the morning, things were much clearer. The passion-filled haze that had cottoned their eyes the previous night was no more in sight and Hermione was sure Edward hated what he was seeing right then. She quickly pulled up her blanket and wrapped herself in it, hiding her scars from Edward's angry eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly, without looking at the only other occupant of the room. "You must really hate seeing the scars. I'll keep them glamor-charmed from now on and cover the ones I can't charm, with make-up." Hermione laughed self-consciously as she sat up and pulled her breakfast plate with a marked lack of gusto. "You must be so used to perfection…."

Edward was in front of her, pulling the food-laden plate away and placing it back on the side-table before he turned to look at Hermione again.

"What are you on about? What just happened?" he asked in confusion. One moment she was stretching around enticingly and the next she was covering herself with her furry yellow blanket!

"I saw you Edward…" Hermione said, eyes downcast.

"What?" he continued to look at Hermione in confusion.

"I saw you when you were seeing my scars. They disgust you. You don't like seeing them and I.. I understand. I'll have them covered next time onwards…"

"Hermione…" Edward flinched in shock. "Look at me," he said, tugging at her chin to get her to look at him. "You're scars don't disgust me.. I don't like seeing them on you, yes, but that's because they remind me of everything you went through before we met and show me that I wasn't around to protect you when you needed me the most. But I don't want you to cover them, not ever, if I have any say in the matter. They speak of your bravery, the number of times you've faced mortal peril and won. They show your devotion to a friend who had it all wrong going for him, and your care for those you jumped in front of to save from a torturous death."

"These, my darling," he curled his fingers around the blanket she was clutching hard at, and pushed it aside, dropping it back on the bed. He fingered the thick, black gash running between her breasts with his frosty fingers and then looked up from the large scar back into her eyes, "are your medals of honor. For every time you've faced and stood up against injustice. For every life you've saved. For every sacrifice you've made… Darling, I'll never be able to tell you exactly how proud I am of you, to know that such a strong woman is my mate."

"You, my darling mate, make my century long wait, worthwhile. I've waited too long for you to show up. I have missed being by your side when you needed me the most. But not anymore. From now on, till the end of eternity, for each and every day of forever, I will be by your side, loving you, caring for you, protecting you." He topped that promise with a toe-curling kiss.

"But I wonder if I should take offence to know that you think so little of me," he asked looking in her eyes that had clouded over with tears, as he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.

Hermione blushed in embarrassment. "It's not that Edward…" He cocked a brow but waited patiently for her to explain. "You're perfect. You must be used to perfection. And then there's me…"

" _You_ are my perfection, Hermione, scars and all, everything about you that makes you, you, is perfect for me. And I don't want to hear a word about hiding anything of yours from me, not now, not ever. I don't want you to erect any barriers between us."

"You, my Hermione, are tailor-made to fit me. Especially crafted for me – to compliment me, to challenge me, to keep me on my toes, to bring me out of the disdainful rut my life had gotten stuck into, to show me there's more to living than mere existence, to bring happiness to my heart and peace to my soul. You were sent here, so far away from your home, because someone, somewhere knew I needed you more than anyone else did."

"You are the one I want, Hermione – the complete scarred-body, ink stained, bushy-haired, over-caring, bookworm-ish package. I've felt a pull towards you from the second we met at my special place in the meadow, when you were in the middle of a war and I was fancying myself in love with another and it's only gotten stronger with time. When you're away from me, my existence feels pointless. When you're with me, I honestly want for nothing more…"

"Do you believe me?" he asked huskily, looking at Hermione as silent tears escaped her eyes. She sniffled but nodded and he bent his head to kiss her tears away. Pulling back he looked at her. Her eyes shedding her emotions, her nose pink yet a loving smile playing on her lips, he knew he'd never seen nor will he ever see a sight prettier than that. He pecked her nose, then straightened and said, "Marry me.."

Hermione chuckled and sniffled again, pulling a few tissues from the box beside her food tray as she shook her head fondly at Edward.

"We just got together last night," she teased.

"And can you really tell me you want to spend time away from me after our night together?" he asked her with a teasing smile, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively and eyes shining as if he already knew her answer.

Hermione lifted an eyebrow at his cockiness, "Well, how do I know it wasn't a one-time wonder. I'm gonna need some convincing if I am to do this forever thing with you."

Edward smirked wickedly at her and pushed lightly at her shoulder, laying her back on the bed. "Oh, I'll _convince_ you as much and for as long as you want, my darling. You only ever have to ask," he said and slid his body over hers, taking his time to _convince_ her, showing her exactly how perfectly they fit together.

Before he could start though, Hermione held her hand against his chest, asking him to stop without actual words and then she dropped her mental shields. ' _No barriers, right?_ ' she thought in her mind and Edward did a double take when he heard Hermione's voice straight in his head.

He awarded her with his biggest smile ever and Hermione could swear she lost her heart all over again somewhere along the way as he bent down on her and pleasured every single inch of her body, feeling her shivers and hearing her scrambled thoughts in his mind and her moans out loud. It was the most erotic thing he had ever had to endure.

Endure, yes, because with _all of her_ flooding _all_ his senses, he was more acutely aware of his needs than he had ever been in his life.

It was _hours_ later that Hermione finally got around to heat charming her breakfast, after which they hit the showers together and began the process of getting very dirty all over again….


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 28:**

It was hands down, the best Christmas holidays Hermione had ever had!

Two days after the Ball at Forks High, Hermione had appeared for her NEWTs.

She'd spent the day after she'd gotten together with Edward, studying like a she-bat gone crazy, yet much to her pleasure Edward hadn't uttered one single complaint, instead kept her silent company all day and then night long.

Despite being able to floo to the ministry, Edward had wanted to drive her to and back from her exam hall every day, so she had happily relented, again sticking to her books during the long rides to Seattle.

He'd spent all his time with her, apart from the times he had to hunt, of course. And she had felt so calm with him around, that the normally stressful exam time had actually just flown by. Bound by habit, more than her need to revise, she had studied all the way till they reached the ministry offices where she was to take her tests while Edward had waited for her at the atrium, not once leaving or going too far away while she was locked up behind shut doors, writing her NEWTs.

On the last day, he hadn't driven them back home but taken her for a long drive instead. She too had opted for a drive-through McD's meal instead of wasting time at a place only one of them would eat at. And they'd simply driven further on. By the time dusk had settled, they were parked in the middle of thick foliage and were making out like there was no tomorrow!

"I just got a taste of you and then you shut off for your exams. Worst days of my entire life," Edward complained between kisses.

"We have holidays now. I'll make it up to you," Hermione promised while she returned his caresses.

The next thing they knew, they'd fogged up the windows of the car pretty well and yet neither was anywhere close to feeling satiated. Feeling restless instead, Hermione had turned Edward's car into a portkey and transported them, car and all, in smack-dab-middle of her living room!

It hadn't even occurred to Edward to question her about it as he'd lifted her off the car seat, uncaring of both their clothes that were splattered across the floor of the said car and thrown her on the first flat surface he could – the coffee table in the sitting room, and proceeded to ravish her.

It had taken them a good long three days to come out of the whole 'starved-for-your-touch' phase, only to realize that they'd both missed all the celebrations of Christmas! Not that they had cared…

On New Year's eve, Edward had insisted on starting their celebration early and Hermione in turn had insisted that for them to have a nice, happy new year, they did indeed have to welcome it with a bang!

And that was how, a mind-boggling week later, on the re-opening day of their new term, they both found themselves in front of Forks High again.

"Honestly, you two, get a room!" Alice smirked their way after deboarding Jasper's car only to find Hermione pressed between Edward's silver Volvo and the vampire himself, while he thoroughly ravished her mouth, not letting her get a word out. The position quite clearly chosen to hold Hermione in, the place chosen to keep people out. _Well, tough luck!_

"You know I want to," Edward cheekily replied to his sister, while holding Hermione still with a tight grasp on her waist.

"But you can't!" Hermione said, her tone laced with warning this time. "We talked about this, Edward. You know I don't want Bella to find out about us this way. She needs to hear it from you. You speak to her in Biology today, get her to understand and then…"

"And then can I, how do you Brits say it, yeah, _snog ya'_ thoroughly in the cafeteria?" Edward teased, faking a plush British accent.

For reply, Hermione blushed furiously, her eyes going all wide.

"Well, the last time you were here, I had the most unfortunate luck to catch every guys' thought about you and trust me, I only wanted to rip them all apart for it!" Edward growled in remembrance, "and while this," he slipped open the top button of her shirt, pulled the collar aside and kissed their mating mark, a habit he'd cultivated without even realizing it, "means a lot to me and every other person in your world, here no one understands its importance and I just want, no, I _need_ everyone to know you're taken. Completely off limits. _ONLY MINE_."

Jasper, Alice and Hermione chuckled after hearing Edward's passionate possessive rant, the other couple shaking their head and leaving to give the new one some privacy. An opportunity Edward did not want to lose but his mate bate him to it. "Come here, you."

Hermione pulled him by his collar, getting his face level with hers and they ended up kissing right until the bell rang to signal the beginning of the first day of the new term in the new year!

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Hermione blushed furiously as Edward pressed harder into her, flattening her against the wall behind her. Given, it was an empty corridor, but it was still their school! Their first day back in the new year, no less!

"Edward," she whispered, gathering her reserve before she lost all coherent thought.

"Hmm…" he hummed in response, already busy kissing her neck.

Groaning, Hermione arched her neck, giving him better access, making him chuckle as she tried to word her complaint.

"I told you…. not here… in school…. like this… too many…. will see… we shouldn't…"

"Don't care," Edward retorted, slipping open the top two buttons of her shirt. Crooking his finger in the opened slit, he tugged at her collar exposing their mating mark and kissing it repeatedly.

The hands that Hermione had splayed against his chest in an attempt to keep Edward away, fisted and clutched at his shirt, pulling him towards her as her mind was losing the battle against her body's wishes.

Edward grinned wickedly in triumph, bending his head to kiss the top of her creamy breasts that were exposed to him. He ran his cold thumbs over the taut nipples pressing against the fabric of her shirt, aching for his touch, demanding his attention, which he was only too happy to lavish on them.

"My girls are begging for me," he breathed huskily in Hermione's ear, then ran his mouth over her jaw, kissing his way down again.

"Edward please… we're at school… anyone could walk in on us…" Hermione tried one last time before surrendering to the pleasure she knew Edward would bring her, something even she was craving now, despite the given setting.

Inspite of knowing Hermione was losing her will to fight, Edward suddenly stiffened, his hands re-doing Hermione's open buttons and straightening her clothes at vampiric speed as his head shifted in the direction he'd heard a harsh breath from. His angry golden orbs clashed with hurt brown ones before Bella recovered enough to hastily dash away from them.

 _Shit!_ Edward groaned in his mind. This was exactly what he needed. _NOT!_ To have his suicidal ex watch him seducing his mate! _Shit!_ He punched the wall in his frustration, cracking the tiles there.

Hermione looked up at Edward with questions racing in her eyes and mind.

Edward gazed into her eyes that had been clouded with desire not twenty seconds back but were now clear and curious. He wrapped his strong arms around her tiny form and lifted her clear off her feet before melding their mouths together.

"You know I love you, right?"

Hermione nodded. "And I you."

He flashed her his crooked smile and kissed her again. Then, intertwining their fingers he walked with her towards the cafeteria.

"So, are you going to tell me who it was that walked in on us?"

He half smiled. _She was just too smart and quick for her own good._ "Bella," he answered, seeing no point in keeping anything from her.

Hermione's steps faltered. The one person she did not want to wave her relationship in front of, had seen them plastered to each other. She knew Edward thought of her as a friend and would feel responsible if she did anything untoward.

 _"_ _You don't think she would….?"_ Hermione thought in her mind, bringing her shields down for Edward to read her mind and she held his eyes, to use her legilemency on him to continue their conversation where no one at school could eavesdrop.

 _"_ _I honestly hope she doesn't… but I'll have Alice keep an eye on her none-the-same."_

"You do that," Hermione offered him a small smile of her own.

"Has anyone ever told you, you're just too compassionate for your own good?" Edward chucked while shaking his head.

"Almost every day of my fifth year. And these days I sometimes hear a rant from Draco about the same," Hermione smirked.

"Still, not many would care about the _old flame._ "

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "I trust my boyfriend. Not to mention, he thinks of his ex as his friend and who am I to judge him on that? I'm still friends with my exes."

"What do you mean boyfriend?" Edward asked with a scowl. "And what's this bit about _exes_ , as in plural?"

Hermione grinned like a Cheshire cat who'd stumbled upon a can of cream, "Our relationship. Or did I dream the whole dating bit?" she asked feigning innocence. "And _exes_ as in the two guys I've dated before you."

This time, Edward backed her into the wall right there on the busy corridor, uncaring of being seen by anyone. Hermione had talked him into keeping their relationship under wraps for Bella's benefit but now that the cat was out of the bag with her, he'd be damned if he didn't show his girl off to everyone.

" _Our relationship_ ," he halted for effect, "is so much more than mere dating, darling. It's a binding of our souls for all of eternity," he whispered softly near her ear, pushing his hand inside her collar and circling his bite mark there with his cold fingers, making Hermione shiver, before rounding his hand around her nape to angle her head just right. "And I don't want to hear another word about any of those gits. I'm the only one you'll ever know that way. The ones before me don't count and I promise you there'll be none after me," he said against her lips and crashed his mouth to hers, taking her in for long, hot kisses that he broke only because the shuffling behind them turned into loud cat calls.

They broke apart to look around them and Hermione flushed scarlet before burying her head in his chest in embarrassment and Edward pulled out his aces on vampiric allure, settled the noises around him with one blinding smile, hypnotizing all the humans around them as he let Hermione disengage from him and walked with her towards the cafeteria, hand-in-hand.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 29:**

 _This can't be happening._

 _It wasn't true._

 _There's no way that he'd do that…._

 _But I saw the mark myself!_ Bella stared at the similar mark on her inner wrist, given by the very same vampire, fingering its edges absent-mindedly, the condensation from the glass she was holding in her other hand falling like beads over the mark Edward had left on her.

 _How could he have already moved on? And.. and gone ahead and done that…. With… with_ _ **her!**_ _It took him months to simply kiss me… Yet… Yet, he's already intimate with her?_ The glass of orange juice she was nursing shattered in her hand, its contents flowing everywhere and the glass, encircled with her blood smashed to the floor in pieces.

 _But it was meant to be_ _ **ME!**_

 _May be what I saw was all wrong…_

 _May be I misunderstood…_

 _He loves me… Edward loves_ _ **me!**_

 _It's me he wants… It's me he promised to turn and stay beside for all of eternity… after everyone I loved had parted, he'll still be with me… he said so himself…_

 _He can't take that back…. No… No, he can't… His words mean a lot to him… He won't go back on his promises….._

 _May be it's a spell…_

 _Yes! Yes, that's it… May be he's under some sort of a magical spell and he needs to break it to understand what's really happening…_

 _Then he'll come to me…_

 _There's no way he'd leave me alone like this…_

 _He's always come through for me… Even when he'd left, I'd see him whenever my life was at risk…_

 _Oh my goodness!_ Bella's hand flew to her mouth. _That's it! It's all so obvious now! How could I have not seen it before?!_

 _Love is the strongest power there is… Even that witch and her friends said so, didn't they?_

 _And I love Edward and Edward loves me…_

Bella looked down at the fallen shards of glass, her eyes gleaming with a maniacal streak.

 _If this is what I have to do to get Edward back, then so be it…_

"Edward… I still love you…" she whispered softly, and cut through the veins popping on her wrist, letting her life force drain out of her… Drop by single drop…. _Oh, how much my blood used to sing to him,_ she smiled to herself, even as she fell off the ledge of the window onto the floor, landing on more glass, pooling the drab brown carpet of her room and bathing it red with her blood.

 _Alice will either see this and send Edward to save me…. Or my father will get here and take me to the hospital begging Carlisle to help me any way he can. And by God's grace, if I get there late, that can only go one way then…._

"Let's see who wins this? The wicked witch or the mere mortal…." with that last thought, Bella's world turned black….


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 30:**

"Ugh! What is it now Alice?" Edward simply hated getting calls from this particular sister of his. But she was being persistent. It was her eighth call in the past three minutes, after all!

Lately, she never had good news. And she always, _always_ , called when Edward was either pressed hard against his mate or was in the process of ravishing her or was having the time of his life kissing her mind out!

 _May be it's just karma coming me bite me in the ass for all the times I've put a splinter in my siblings' plans._

He pecked Hermione on her lips, and then because he couldn't resist himself, gave her breasts quick kisses through the flimsy material that had the audacity of calling itself her bra, not that he was complaining mind you, but then he excused himself with a very sorry expression plastered on his face, walking out through the French windows separating the balcony that was attached to Hermione's room. His mind was still on his mate who had plopped herself on her bed, wearing her pink brasserie and an unbuttoned dark blue denim that was hugging her perfectly and was staring at the ceiling, twisting her pout quite temptingly, when he continued speaking with his sister in their fast vampiric speed. Firstly, because he in no way whatsoever wanted Hermione to know what Bella had done this time. His witch was just too passionate to not care, and secondly, because he _really_ wanted this conversation with his sister over and done with so he could go back to what he was doing in the first place.

"I told you, I already met her at the hospital three days back. She's delusional! Said I was under some sort of a spell from Hermione and that I actually was in love in her, Bella! And honestly, Alice, I've had enough! I can't believe that she'd try to attempt suicide just to get some attention. That's just…"

"Oh, will you just shut up and listen to me for once!" Alice snapped. "Edward, Bella's gone missing. She flicked Chief Swan's wallet and left. The last transaction on his credit card shows a ticket for one to Italy! Charlie's going berserk…. I'm so sorry, Edward. I tried keeping my eye out on her, but she's stopped thinking things through so I can't really see any of her decisions any more. Sam and his pack are on the verge of outing our secret. Only Jacob's speaking against it, and that's only because of Luna. Jacob being the true alpha is able to yield some power over the pack and has his packmates hushed for now, but since I can't see their future too, I don't know for how long they'll stay quiet. And I think the Volturi know I am trying to see their plans, for their minds are showing an indecisiveness I've never seen from them before. I… I also can't see Bella anywhere, anymore. She was booked on a flight for last night. That gives her enough time to have actually reached Volterra…"

 _Oh fuck!_ Edward ran his hand through his messy copper hair in exasperation. "Why would she do such a thing? She can't be that stupid! Hell! She was supposed to be a smart one!"

"Guess that ship has sailed, huh?" Alice said, shaking her head on the other line. "Edward we need to save her before she goes and does something that can't be reversed, assuming she hasn't already crossed that street, yet. And… and I think it'll have to be you, seeing as she's doing it all for you, she'll probably only listen to you."

Stupidly, Edward nodded, so lost in thought that he forgot that Alice wouldn't be able to see his nod, and he flapped his cellular phone shut. The instrument squeezing and breaking in his hand.

"Are you going to tell me what all of that was about?" Hermione asked from the entryway. But seeing Edward's still form, she mutely walked up to him and hugged him tight, rubbing his back soothingly.

Unthinkingly, as he was still reeling from the shocking news he'd received from his sister, he narrated the whole episode to Hermione, censoring nothing. By the end of his tale, Hermione was as still as him, before she kicked her mind into action.

"It may not be late yet, Edward, may be we can still get her back."

"There's no way the Volturi will keep her there, _alive_ , for so long. Even if I charter a flight right away…"

"Edward," Hermione stopped him with a hand on his arm. "I'm with you all the way. Give me five minutes. I'll floo over to Seattle and get us an international portkey. We'll be there in Volterra within the next thirty minutes, I promise. Just give Draco a call, explain everything and ask him if he has connections in the ministry at Italy, to see if the vampires can be stalled for a bit longer. Also, call Harry and ask him to arrange for some back up at Volterra. I'll be back soon, love," Hermione pecked Edward's lips and ran out of her room to the drawing room downstairs to floo to the ministry offices, while Edward made the necessary calls.

Hermione made complete use of her celebrity status and demanded a portkey the minute she set foot in the ministry lobby and was back at her place within seven minutes. "Edward! The portkey goes up in the next five minutes, grab whatever you need and come down."

"Granger," Draco stepped out the green fire and into her drawing room, not even bothering to dust his pants off.

"Draco?" Hermione looked at the blond perplexed.

"I came to collect Teddy," the silver eyed wizard shrugged.

Hermione felt her heart twist when she realized that in her urgency she hadn't thought of the sleeping toddler.

Seeing her expression, Draco just knew what she was thinking. "I told you I'll be around when his god-parents would be busy saving the world," Draco winked at Hermione, scurrying off to the babe's room.

"Oh good, Draco, you're here," she heard Edward greet the wizard. "Rosalie was out hunting when I called her. She did say she'd get here quickly but Hermione said the portkey would be off in five minutes and I really didn't want to take a werewolf offspring in front of the Volturi." Both the wizard and the vampire shuddered at the thought.

"I'll wait till Rose gets here and then floo over to my place. You guys get that psycho sorted, don't worry about here," Draco patted Edward's arm and continued his way towards Teddy.

Edward flew down the stairs in complete vampire mode and stood tall in front of Hermione. "You got the portkey?"

Hermione nodded, holding out an old piece of parchment in her hand. "You arranged for Draco to come over for Teddy?"

"Of course," Edward said, eyeing Hermione curiously. "We couldn't just leave him be, now could we?"

Hermione wasn't sure if she could put what she felt for Edward right then, into words, but she knew it was far beyond love. He'd not only accepted her in his life, but made place for her surrogate family too. He was the one who spoke first with Draco. He was the one who consoled Ron. He was the one who was left arranging for a sitter for Teddy…

"What's the matter? Why are you looking at me like that?" Edward asked, seeing the intense way Hermione was staring at him.

"Nothing. I just realized how lucky I am to have you in my life…" Hermione replied and kissed him on his cheeks, pulled him down by his collar and kissed his forehead and then finally his lips. "Now let's go kick some Vampire ass and get your friend back," Hermione said, feeling the portkey warming in her hands. Edward quickly held on to it too and they were out in a snap.

And yet, it was too late…..


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 31:**

 _Six months later…._

It was always the _maybes_ and the _could_ _haves_ that wreaked havoc in the minds of those that were left behind.

Edward rarely ever put it in words but Hermione knew he was sometimes still plagued with guilt for his role in the early demise of Isabella Swan.

The reservation's wolf pack were none too happy to know their friend was sucked dry by vampires but they held their peace since it wasn't any of the Cullens that had done the deed, if anything the Cullens had only tried to stop her and bring her back, they grudgingly admitted.

Chief Charlie Swan had moved out. The memories of his young daughter were driving him insane in his loneliness and he'd quit the town. No one knew where he was, not even Mr. Black. He hadn't kept in touch. He just didn't want any reminders whatsoever.

And as Hermione joined every witch and wizard gathered around the casket that was being lowered into the ground, she let blue and golden flashes of light escape her wand as her tears rolled down silently from her cheeks.

She thought back to the time when Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt had mandated that every surviving witch and wizard of the Second War had to go through a thorough medical examination at St. Mungo's. She remembered how the healers there had found the lasting effects of Dolohov's curse on her being that she'd never conceive and yet, how they hadn't been able to identify something so acutely rooted in Andromeda that the magical scans hadn't identified the spreading cancer at all.

Hermione had broken up with Ron the next day, knowing he wanted a brood of his own while Andromeda had happily gone back and hugged little Teddy.

Hermione's life had changed that day….. Ron wasn't a permanent fixture of her future anymore…..

Then she'd moved across the pond to start a new life. Andromeda had fallen ill and her treatment was a necessity. Magic could only do so much. Their lives had changed again. Hermione had signed up for more education, Andromeda had signed up for treatment…

 _The last fists of earth were offered over the casket._

The move had given Hermione a new family… It had brought back Andromeda's old one… Invariably Hermione's eyes scanned the crowd and fell upon Lady Malfoy who was clutching her son's shirt's collar and weeping silently, wetting his pristine white shirt with her saty tears. Not that Draco was faring any better…

 _No one was…._

In her own sweet way, Andromeda had touched so many lives, and they all were crying for the loss that was now left behind in her absence.

 _The tombstone was raised and lowered._

 ** _Andromeda Tonks_** it read **_A wonderful woman who touched every life she met… Finally united with her own true love at long last…._**

Everyone was weeping around her, holding their loved ones just that tiny bit closer. Teddy was firmly tucked between Rosalie and Hermione. Harry and Ginny were hugging each other. Pansy was standing beside Ron, their hands clasped, while her other hand was patting Draco's shoulder. Draco was holding his sobbing mother in his arms, petting her hair as she let her emotions flow freely. The Weasleys were all huddled behind Harry, Kingsley and a few of Tonks' auror friends not too far from them. The Cullens were similarly surrounding Teddy and her, silently letting them know they weren't alone, showing them their support in their hour of need. Just like Jacob's pack stood behind him and his witch, as Luna wept silently on Jake's sleeve, her father soothingly rubbing her back while Jacob kissed her head repeatedly, whispering something to her over and over again.

Yet in the face of it all, Hermione only heard Dolohov's jeering in her mind…..

 _You'll live an unproductive life,_

 _Your body will only refuse what men will give…_

 _The more you use of what you stole_

 _The quicker to your grave you'll move_

 _You'll crave for Death, pray to Him,_

 _But He shall show no mercy._

 _For you Mudblood, shall live to see all around you die…_

 _And yet you shall live on.._

 _Inching towards death…_

 _Waiting to greet him.._

 _Only ever waiting_ …

And so it begins… thought Hermione as she swiped her eyes dry and watched the tombstone finally settle over Andromeda's grave with a heavy heart.

 _I shall live on to watch all die…_

One by one the magical folks left.

"I hope to see you around Narcissa, Draco," Hermione said hugging both of them individually.

"Of course you will. I won't fail the charges my sister left in my care," Narcissa offered with a watery smile.

"We're staying here for a few weeks, till mother gets better. Then we'll be back in the States. I'll call you and inform you of our plans," Draco said before the Malfoys too took their leave.

Finally only Harry, Ginny, the Cullens and the wolf pack, along with Luna, Hermione and Teddy were left.

"We should leave too," Hermione whispered as she hugged Harry after making sure Teddy offered flowers to the three other graves around Andromeda's. They had buried Andromeda with her family, right between her husband and her daughter, knowing there wouldn't be a better resting place for her than that.

Harry nodded saying whatever he had to, to his best friend, with just his eyes. After so many years of friendship and having gone through what they had, they didn't need words as often as others to communicate.

"Don't be a stranger, now. We're all family here and we love you both," Ginny said and hugged Hermione first, then Teddy too. "I'll miss you Teddy Bear. Come and see me soon, okay, love?"

Teddy, too young to get a grasp on what was happening, agreed with a childish gurgle.

Hermione removed the old shoe from her bag and called everyone over before activating the portkey, giving an old diary to Luna that she activated. In two separate groups they popped away to the other side of the world, back to their lives.

Little did they know, some _one_ was waiting for them there with sinister intents…


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 32:**

"Can you smell that?" Jasper immediately stiffened as soon as their feet hit the ground after the portkey dropped them from ten feet over.

"I know that scent… It's vaguely familiar," Emmett growled, twitching his nose every which way to get a better whiff.

"Bloodsuckers!" Paul yelled just as ripping noises filled the air, every wolf present phasing in the beckoning of the threat.

 _The scent was just too familiar…._ Edward was wracking his brains.

 _And is yet so different…._ Jacob completed his thought as both reached the same conclusion at the same time, looking at each other before looking ahead.

 _Bella?!_ The two boys who had once loved the same girl, thought simultaneously of their lost friend just as the person from their mind dropped in front of them.

" **Bella!** " everyone echoed, stunned.

"Hi there, guys!" Bella smiled. Her red eyes and the rag-tag group of vampires standing behind her going unnoticed by no one.

Hermione discreetly handed Teddy to Luna who silently apparated away with the toddler, letting Jacob breath in peace. Despite the situation, the large russet wolf flashed Hermione a grateful smile before looking back at his ex-crush.

"Looks like we surprised them," the short she-vampire said from behind Bella, taking her hood off her beautiful blonde hair.

"We sure did sister," smirked another one, stepping beside the her. Both boy and girl looking not a day more than early teens.

"Meet my new friends, Alec, his twin Jane, Dmitri and Felix."

It was then that Edward registered the grey robes Bella was wearing and his heart sunk.

"They changed you?" he said looking brokenly at the girl he had once loved. "You lied to me," he said looking at the group behind her."

"Yes, we did, and she begged for it too," Felix winked at Edward cheekily.

"And no, we didn't lie, well, not really. We really were done with her when you came over with a band of wizards hot on your heels. What we only hid was our true intent. We had taken our fair share of her blood but Lord Aro had instructed us to not dry her out. If she survived, he knew she'd be powerful and so we kept her," Jane shrugged one shoulder elegantly, as if the matter needed no more discussion.

"But if she survived, why couldn't I see her? I looked for her every day," Alice piqued.

"Because she's a shield. She wanted to keep you away, so she did," Dmitri purred, rubbing a long finger across Bella's arm, making her shiver, "didn't you, pet?"

"That's why I haven't been able to see any of the happenings of Volterra for the past few months!" the stray pieces in Alice's mind finally fit.

"Afraid so," Felix shrugged.

"Now, are we gonna finish our work here or not?" Alec grumbled, his fingers itching to use his powers over the horse-sized wolves.

Jane nodded. "Going against the Volturi's wishes and letting a human who knew too much about us to leave unchanged, under the direct orders of Lord Aro, the Olympic Coven is now sentenced to death. The only way to escape is to pay for your misdeeds and join the guard."

"Never," the Cullens hooted as one.

"As it be then," Jane smirked and brought Carlisle down on his knees, screaming in pain.

Her twin let the black smoke escape and arrested as many wolves as he could, though a few larger ones managed to escape his hold. Dmitri was in a headlock with Jasper just as Sam and couple more wolves jumped on the Volturi's guard and tore at his neck, Hermione flicked her wrist to light the pyre. Felix had Emmett pinned but Paul helped him out and between the two, they managed to throw the pieces of the second vampire into the burning pyre as well.

The twins though turned out to be trouble. It took all of Edward, Jacob, Alice, Embry and Leah to bring down Alec while Seth, Esme, Rosalie and Quil tried to distract Jane, lest she end up killing Carlisle.

"You're living my life. But it all ends today," Bella said looking at Hermione in her eyes. "Edward only let me go because I was a human. But now that I'm one of them, you are the only one who's standing in my way of finding my happily ever after with my Edward."

Saying that Bella jumped on Hermione.

Hermione threw off hexes without losing breath but Bella's shield was too strong to penetrate and so, just as she whispered a protego to protect herself from the attack, the new vampire's speed and might turned out to be too much and Bella latched onto Hermione's throat.

Hermione fell to the forest floor, her wand slipping out of her hand as Bella bit her right where Edward had marked her, but unlike that bite, this one took her magic away. Hermione felt her life-force seeping out of her as the world around her turned dark until noting existed anymore.

 _No sound._

 _No light._

 _No smell._

 _Just an abyss full of darkness._

Hermione's eyes shut and her body went limp…

 _The darkness finally engulfed her… completely…_


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 33:**

These had to be the worst three days of his entire life!

Edward had punched innumerous trees and walls in the last 72 hours to relieve his frustration but it hadn't worked.

When he'd seen Bella jumping for Hermione, the humanity in him had snapped, leaving a feral, vicious creature in its wake.

A ferocious being that had seen something attacking _his mate_!

And he'd seen red.

Between one second and the next, he was on Bella, the beauty her vampirism had granted her going completely unnoticed by him. Everything, after he'd pulled her by her hair taking her away from Hermione, was a complete blur in his mind.

All he did remember was that it had taken Sam, Paul, Emmett and Jasper to hold him back from crushing the tiny pieces he'd torn Bella's hard body into. He'd seen Jacob throw her broken body into the burning pyre, he'd smelled the putrid stench that had filled the air, flashes of how Bella had met her death at the hands of the two who had once loved her going through everyone's mind had been bombarded at him. But none of it had truly registered with him.

Ironically enough, it was Jacob who had been able to calm him down. The wolf had walked up to him and only thought of Hermione, sharing his memories of the times he'd seen the witch with Edward and Edward had finally calmed enough to look at his mate.

Carlisle was kneeling beside her, working on her and Edward had dashed towards them. But one look at his father had told Edward everything he needed to know.

 _They only had to wait back to see if she made through the change….._

And that had been that.

Rosalie had spoken to Draco, informed Hermione's friends back in the UK about the new turn of events. Harry, the Weasleys and the Malfoys had all come to check on her but had left on Carlisle's bidding.

With a new vampire in the house, they didn't want any humans around. _If it went some other way and Hermione did not make it through the change, they'd get in touch,_ but that bit was left unspoken. Edward had heard the thought in most their minds but he hadn't let him entertain it.

She had to live.

She had to turn.

She had to survive it.

 _For him… She had to…_

He hadn't left her bedside for all the long excruciating days, refusing to even go hunting.

 _As soon as she woke up, he'd take her along…_

He only thought of Hermione and himself living out their happily ever after.

No other image was given permission to play in his mind.

 _This is sheer agony,_ Edward thought as he rubbed the back of Hermione's hand.

He heard her pulse slacking, the lazy beat of her heart finally stopping.

He whiffed the exact moment her blood dried inside of her; and he knew the precise moment that her human life had left her body.

He felt her warmth seep away as her body turned cold and colder still.

He felt her soft, supple skin turn diamond hard under his touch.

He saw her riotous hair change. It's unruly curls swapped for thick, rich waves.

Her porcelain skin gleamed with a pearly finish now, as opposed to her pinkish-flushed hue.

He saw her scars disappear, an unmarred perfection left instead. Only his mark on her remained, though it was tainted by another bite given right on it and he hated seeing that other mark spoil the one thing that proved to all that Hermione was only his.

Edward sighed.

 _This was it…_

"It's time," Rosalie said stepping into the room, and Edward grudgingly walked away, giving his sisters and mother a chance to ready her. Praying to all the deities above to let Hermione come through this change as less fragile, Edward stepped out but never left his guarding spot from the door.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 34:**

 _Epilogue:_

It had taken her a year to master her thirst, but master it she had! She was the only other vampire besides Carlisle to have not tasted human blood even once.

Hermione had lost her magic with her previous life, but she'd gained something else, instead. She could control the elements and communicate with every living organism, whether it be a babe or an animal. Her new powers though had made hunting difficult for her, for she could hear the plight of the animals that ran helter-skelter at the mere sight of the vampires, and being just as compassionate as she always was, she never could bring herself to harm any.

That's where her other family had come through for her.

Edward had whisked her off to Isle Esme almost as soon as she had woken up and they'd stayed there for an entire year. He'd helped her reel in her burning thirst for blood and then stood by her as she mastered her new powers. His immense patience with her, mixed with just the right amount of encouragements and taunts had truly kept her going. The fact that she couldn't shield her mind from him anymore was something he thoroughly enjoyed, especially when she swore colourfully in her mind while he chewed her out for not practicing to control her powers or some such thing like that….

When he'd found her starving herself because she couldn't hunt down scared animals, he'd placed calls to Harry, Draco and Carlisle and between them, they'd come up with her diet plans.

Edward had left her by herself for a few hours, stranded on the lonely island. He hadn't told her then, but he'd gone to the other side to meet with Charlie Weasley for collecting a packet. Since she was starved beyond belief, and after accounting for the fact that she was a new born, they'd thought it best to keep Charlie and every other human away from her for the time being.

The second Edward had stepped off the boat, Hermione had accosted him. The smell of all that blood that clung around him was too much for her to take. Edward had simply smiled and handed her a packet.

She hadn't given a thought to what she was drinking, but when she felt her aura buzz lightly after she'd downed half the cannister, she'd looked at Edward in awe. He'd only smirked, said, "Dragon blood," and that had been that.

Without fail, Charlie sent in one pack every week. The magical power in the thick gory liquid, kept Hermione not just full for more than a week, but honed her skills so acutely that she could sway trees with just one look.

When the news of her attack had reached the magical ministries across the globe, they'd gotten together for a summit and vetoed the power of the Volturi. The underhandedness of the Lords and the blind faith of their followers had earned them all a quick death sentence and in turn, the vampires all over the world were brought under the jurisdiction of the Magical Ministries of their countries of residence.

Things were all falling into place, every chip fitting perfectly with the one beside it.

Harry had married Ginny and the two had officially adopted Teddy. Narcissa, along with Molly had become the grandmother to the eldest Potter child. Hermione was saddened by that, truth be told, but she knew it was the best move for Teddy. Little Victoire, Bill and Fleur's daughter was a great friend of his and he had enough aunts and uncles there to spoil him rotten. Not one to lag off, Aunt Hermione and Aunt Rosalie though had full plans of being the fun-aunts with whom he, and his other cousins should they wish, spent their summers with.

Draco was still enjoying his philandering ways, his mother and most of their friends waiting to see the day that dragon was saddled.

Ron and Pansy were going as strong as ever. May be there'd even be an engagement on the horizon, who knew…

Jake had proposed to Luna, not that she hadn't seen it coming. He wanted to marry her immediately, and so they had tied the knot within two short weeks.

And now, it was finally time for Hermione to join the Cullen family in Alaska.

"I'll miss this place," Hermione whispered against Edward's chest as they hugged each other, standing in middle of all their luggage packed perfectly in their glass house on Isle Esme.

"If you like it so much, we can always come back here for our honeymoon," Edward replied, dazzling Hermione with his smile.

"H… Honeymoon," Hermione stammered.

In answer, Edward went down on his knee and produced a black velvet box from his pocket. "I've waited for so long to give this to you. It's the last thing I have of my mother's. Please accept it and let me make you mine forever. I love you now, and I will love you forever. Do me the honor of being my wife. Marry me…"

"Yes!" Hermione yipped and dropped on her knees to hug him.

Needless to say, their chartered flight was delayed by a few hours…

And that was just the beginning of their eternity long romance…


End file.
